


Shoot me

by DoEScasTIElLove



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Beta Sam, Canon-Typical Violence, Explosions, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gangs, Gas-N-Sip (Supernatural), Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Dean, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester, Robbery, True Mates, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-11-27 01:55:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18188270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoEScasTIElLove/pseuds/DoEScasTIElLove
Summary: Dean Winchester had never planned to find a mate. This kind of thing, settling down, having a family was for his younger brother Sammy but not for him.Hell, he robbed shops for a living, kind of being the right hand of  Crowley, King of Hell.He didn't plan on robbing a fuel station and meeting his true mate while holding a gun to his head. And he certainly never planned on not getting the guy out of his head.





	1. Rob me

„Hands up and down to the floor! Hands up!” Dean Winchester was used to hearing that being yelled, but he was always surprised by how long it took for the people to react. These were like two basic instructions.  
  
Maybe he shouldn’t think of people like this, but he had seen so many stupid and mean people that he thought of himself as average. Even if he was working for a man, who called himself the King of Hell, robbing fuel stations for him. At least he had never killed anybody.  
  
They had prepared this one nicely; it should go like clockwork. Two other men and one woman were behind Dean with guns, and one guy was waiting in the car with a running engine. The Winchester was the one to turn towards the cashier like most of the times and make sure he didn’t pull a gun or press an emergency button.  
  
They were in a small Gas’n Sip just out of town and besides the three customers, there were only two people in blue vests present. One woman with blond hair next to the slushy machines and the cashier, of course, a guy, Dean had seen from the outside with dark hair and about his height.  
  
As they stood in front of each other now, for a second, before it all went down for Dean, he noticed that the guy was actually about one or two inches shorter than he was and had stunning blue eyes.  
  
Then he noticed the other’s smell.  
  
Alpha.  
  
Mate.  
  
_Submit_.  
  
That couldn’t be it, Dean tried to think through the thick clouds in his head as he found himself on the floor, head pressed down, knees tight to the chest. He had no idea how he had gotten down there nor how to get up again.  
  
It felt humiliating and probably the others would make fun of him for ages.  
  
“Get up,” a quiet but clear voice commanded from above him. Suddenly his limbs moved as if without his consent, and everything inside of him tingled from the alpha voice the other had used.  
  
As soon as he was upright, Dean looked into bright blue eyes that were wide from shock. Everything else seemed to be exactly like he left it; guns were still being pointed at customers, and even though the others must have seen how he had dropped to the floor, nobody was noticing the hidden conversation between himself and the cashier.  
  
“Grab your gun again and point it at me,” the guy with the blue eyes said in a slow, low voice and Dean did precisely what he said. The other must notice his irritation, he thought until he remembered that only his eyes were visible through the black mask he was wearing.  
  
The alpha scent was still there, and it made everything seem as if in a haze and too bright and in focus at the same time.  
  
Dean took a moment, that he didn’t have, to distinguish between the different layers of the alpha’s smell in front of him. There was definitely something like the smell after heavy rain in the forest and some kind of big, wild field odour.  
  
"What's wrong?" one of the guys behind him suddenly asked, and he sprung back into reality like a spring, that had been tightened for too long.  
  
"Give me all the money," Dean blurted out not nearly as intimidating as he wanted, as he remembered what he was supposed to do. He yearned to facepalm himself because there clearly were more intelligent sounding ways to rob a fuel station.  
  
Why the hell did he care about that all of a sudden?  
  
The alpha in front of Dean started to slowly put all the money from the cash box into a bag after having opened it while looking way too relaxed for a guy being robbed.  
  
It was only five minutes later in the car that Dean started to regain real control of his consciousness again. They were on the roads on their way to an abandoned parking space where two other stolen cars were waiting for them, and one could make out the distant sirens of a police car. And he was finally free of this scent.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
"Here's the thing Benny," he addressed the driver wiping some sweat off his forehead. This was not good. "You're gonna let me out the next bus stop and follow the rest of the plan without me. Do you understand?"  
  
It started to get hard to keep a steady, demanding voice, but he wouldn't be Dean Winchester if he couldn't manage that.  
  
"Are you sure?" the older man asked, and he had a concerned look on his face Dean didn't like. But he needed to get out of this car before the others could smell him.  
  
Benny stopped as requested, and Dean stumbled out of the car, even if it got him weird looks from his teammates.  
  
The wait for the bus felt like endless torture. The omega knew that he had to change bus at least once to get home from here and he didn't have much time. There he was, standing in the middle of nowhere, just bushes and old grass around him and wondered how he had gotten himself in such a bad situation again.  
  
Because he was going into heat. Even if he had taken all the possible suppressants that were said to make you impotent after time and that were clearly said to prevent from situations like that, he was about to go into heat in the middle of nowhere, two bus rides from the only safe place he knew.  
  
For a second he contemplated hiding in the bushes and just waiting for the end of his heat there, but they could last a few days, and he wouldn't want to be wearing any clothes, as he suddenly heard the bus approach. He hadn't even noticed it before, due to the haze his mind was starting to develop.  
  
"You all right," the bus driver, a man in his fifties with beard covered cheeks and a baseball cap asked as soon as Dean entered.  
  
The omega nodded shortly and hoped that neither the driver nor the five passengers were any knotheads who would approach him inappropriately during the ride.  
  
It was getting rather late, and as Dean seated himself behind the driver, as far as possible from the other passengers, he watched the sun go down above the fields and occasional houses. It would be nice if the fire under his skin wouldn't be driving him mad.  
  
"This is the last station. Ya should be gettin' out here, boy," the driver said, and Dean suddenly noticed, that it was dark and they were alone in the bus.  And that he was shaking.  
  
Damnit he was approaching his heat too fast. He didn't even remember the last twenty minutes or so.  
  
The bus driver, judging from his mostly blocked scent an alpha, suddenly stood in front of him. Wait, shouldn't he be driving the bus? Dean was in such a haze that he apparently hadn't even noticed, that the bus had stopped.  
  
"You alright there?" the bus driver asked, and it seemed as if he was kind of holding his breath. Oh, he must be smelling the heat. That wasn't good, Dean tried to remind himself but the first cramps had started, and it seemed as if it was going to be a bad one.  
  
Big, blue eyes flashed behind his inner eye for a second.  
  
"Yeah, am fine," Dean managed to answer and tried to get up on shaky legs, but the bus driver stopped him.  
  
"How d'ya plan on going home?" the alpha in front of him asked as if he doubted that Dean could even walk ten meters. Who did he think he was? The omega was sure he could kill him with bare hands if needed, even in heat.  
  
"Look, I'll drive you. We're already on a bus. Where do ya wanna be dropped off?" His voice sounded gruff, but friendly at the same time. And Dean didn't have a lot of options left.  
  
After he had told the driver the station he needed to get off, the man just shook his head and got back behind the wheel. He apparently thought Dean wouldn't have made it. He had to admit, that there was maybe a tiny hint of truth in that.  
  
When they stopped, just one block from Dean's apartment the driver tapped his head as a goodbye. The omega was almost out of the door as he turned around the last time.  
  
"I'm Dean, by the way." Assuming that he would never see the man again, he told him his real first name, feeling as if he at least owed that to him.  
  
"Bobby," the alpha replied gruffly, and Dean managed a small smile before leaving.

  
  
-

  
  
The heat lasted a week. Dean had never before experienced anything as painful, and he had been held captive and tortured by a rivalling gang for almost a month once.  
  
Every second of it was haunted by these blue eyes, and even afterwards, Dean couldn't get the guy he had threatened with a gun out of his head.  
  
He had waited another day after his heat had ended, just to make sure, before he went back to Crowley. He was confident, that the others, maybe except Benny had bailed on him and told the rather short beta about what had happened in the Gas'nSip, but he wasn't afraid. Crowley needed him.  
  
The meeting point of the Hell's demons was not as well hidden as some of the members sometimes tried to think, but they also weren't particularly dangerous and just flying under the radar of the local police.  
  
Dean entered the shabby looking diner and waved at Benny, who was not only their getaway driver but also an excellent cook.  
  
"You look like shit," the beta shouted after him, and Dean just flipped him off. He hadn't managed to eat or sleep a lot during the last days, and the traces of this neglect of his body still showed.  
  
"Crowley," Dean exclaimed loudly after entering the big loft above the diner, what made everybody stare at him. He just needed to pretend that nothing could affect him to keep his place in the gang.  
  
Crowley, a man, who was a little short to be a typical beta, but coped with it by wearing black suits and being a ruthless son of a bitch, emerged from his conversation with some higher ranked drug dealers. He mimicked for Dean to follow him into his office, which the omega took as a good sign since the King of Hell usually loved to scold people in front of everybody.  
  
"Where the hell have you been," the beta started, and then shook his head. "Nevermind, I don't care. The better question is, why I had three different people tell me separately that Dean Winchester presented his pretty little ass in the middle of an important heist."  
  
His volume increased during his speech, but Dean knew he was just a colourful guy. If he ever found out, that the omega had him saved as 'Drama Queen' in his phone, he would never hear the end of it.  
  
"It won't happen again," the Winchester just stated, because he was tired and really didn't want to explain the situation. Hell, he didn't even really understand it himself.  
  
"It won't- Yes, of course, it won't happen again." Crowley had started to shout again, and Dean tried to block him out as much as possible. The guy just needed to get it out from time to time but else he was a great boss most of the time. The omega would even almost go as far as calling him a friend, a weird one, but still.  
  
It was the blue-eyed cashier that had invaded his thoughts like the thing in the movie "Alien" had invaded a guys chest. No matter what he tried, he hadn't managed to distract himself from the alpha, so he decided to do what he did best: Less thinking, more action.  
  
He had thought about calling his brother, but the guy was probably very busy with college, and Dean rather liked it to stay that way. Ever since the older Winchester had gotten the other off the gang-path and into the boring, normal college life, he never wanted him to turn around again.  
  
The other thought that kept him from calling his brother was that Sam was a beta and probably knew just as much about this kind of stuff as Dean did. No, he had to deal with it alone, in his own way.

  
  
-

  
  
His own way meant, that, after he had been scolded enough by Crowley and had helped some others with the planning of a heist, he wouldn't be part of, he departed to the exact same Gas'nSip he had robbed just over a week ago.  
  
He knew he was being stupid, but he really just wanted to see that face again, one last time, smell that awesome, intoxicating smell.  
  
Instead of taking the bus, which he actually hated a lot, Dean got his beloved Impala from where he had parked it before the last heist, a few blocks away from the diner. It was, besides an old leather jacket, the only possession he had inherited from his old man and he treated it almost like family. Sammy would laugh at him for being sentimental like that, but he wouldn’t mind. There were not a lot of things, his brother didn’t know about him, and he had never felt embarrassed for anything in front of little-not-so-little Sam.  
  
This train of thoughts made the Winchester feel rather lonely as soon as he arrived at the gas station and maybe he would call his only family in the evening, just to make sure the guy was okay.  
  
Observing from the outside, Dean hadn’t been able to detect the blue-eyed guy, and he was usually very good at finding people, so he decided to go inside. He had put all the scent blockers on he could have gathered in the short time, just to make sure nobody smelled anything they had smelled before. Even if he had been on blockers said evening about a week ago as well, so there should be no traces to follow.  
  
What was wrong with him, returning to the crime scene after having robbed the place currently, not even knowing if the guy was even here. Was the chance of prison even worth it?  
  
This was stupid, the guy wasn’t working today, Dean thought, standing at the magazines, browsing. He probably quit after last week.  
  
“Are you finding, what you are looking for?” a dark, gravelly voice suddenly asked from behind him, and Dean could have sworn his heart had just stopped for a second, only to return to its work at double speed.  
  
He turned around slowly, noticing the scent first, which was still as amazing as it had been a week ago. It infiltrated his brain like a drug he hadn’t known he was addicted to. Then he stared into bright blue eyes, and it was as if the world around them had paused for a moment, just like it had during the robbery. At least he wasn’t on the floor this time.  
  
“Can I help you?” Dean asked because there was no way the other could have recognised him since he had been disguised and always wore scent blockers-  
  
“Don’t play stupid, I can smell your scent,” the other replied and looked rather irritated than angry. He had his head crooked to the side as if trying to look inside of Deans soul and his calmness stood in contrast to their situation.  
  
“That’s not possible,” Dean rather whispered than said and looked down at his hands to recollect his thoughts. He had a magazine gripped tight in his fist and noticed that it was the latest ‘Busty Asian Beauties’ edition when he unfolded it. He tried to breathe shallowly to get his brain unclouded.  
  
The blue-eyed alpha, who had followed his movements, apparently with great interest seemed to take a deep breath.  
  
“I can smell that you’re using scent blockers, they kind of dim the intensity of your scent, but it’s still… intoxicating.” At these words, Dean looked up again, because that meant, his scent had a similar effect to the other as it was the other way around and this made his inner omega purr.  
  
But he didn’t want to purr. This guy knew who he was and that the police was probably searching for him, so he shouldn’t stand around and talk with him but go.  
  
“I have to-“ Dean started and motioned towards the cash register with the pornographic magazine still in his hand. This was not embarrassing at all.  
  
“You don’t know what it means,” the blue-eyed guy stated as Dean tried to turn around and kept him in place with this intense stare of his.  
  
“What means what?” Dean was now wholly confused. He had been determined to go, but this weird, attractive stranger seemed to know something he didn't possess the knowledge of that was affecting him.  
  
"Being able to scent each other despite scent blockers, the presenting before, the rut..." The other trailed off, and Dean looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. To his relieve, beside him there was only one customer present.  
  
"You went into rut?" Dean asked in a low tone and watched the others irritated facial expression shift into a disbelieving one.  
  
"That- that is what you caught from that?" The others scent started to smell more and more like frustration, and everything in Dean screamed at him to do anything to please his alpha. Wait, his alpha? Where had that come from?  
  
"Have you ever heard of 'True Mates'?" the alpha asked and Dean almost grinned because of air quotes and all. Then he remembered the question required an answer, and he shook his head and nodded at the same time.  
  
Because, of course, he had heard about it, but there was no way...  
  
"It's a mostly biological thing, I think," the dark-haired man continues with furrowed brows at Dean's vague answer. "It happens when two people, an alpha and an omega fit together perfectly by nature and their bodies react to it without their conscious consent."  
  
"I- I know." Dean suddenly felt stupid with the magazine still in his hands and his high-school-dropout knowledge.  
  
There was no way this guy could be his perfect match, hell, there was no way he could be the perfect match for anybody. He knew he was nice for an occasional one night stand, but he was sure nobody would want to be bonded to him for life.  
  
"That means if that were true, you would have been the reason for this awful, long heat," Dean said as realisation swapped over him like a big wave, and he regretted saying the words out loud, the moment he was finished speaking. Damn him, and his first act then think scheme.  
  
The guy in the blue vest seemed to lose his composure for a second before regaining it.  
  
"I'm sorry, that it was awful," the alpha said, and it seemed as if he meant it. His eyes were full of remorse and guilt, but Dean was glad he couldn't detect any pity in them nor in the other's scent. He had spent a lot of his life being pitied by others, and he couldn't say it was something he liked.  
  
"Nah, it's alright," the omega said because he didn't know what else to do under the intense stare of the other. Did the guy even blink for once?  
  
"My name is Castiel," the gorgeous, blue-eyed alpha suddenly said after a moment of silence.  
  
"Dean," the omega said without thinking and immediately scrunched up his face. He had told his real first name, and that was dangerous. Everything about him was dangerous for the other.  
  
He needed to get away from this intoxicating scent. He needed to think.  
  
"I- need to go," Dean mumbled and turned around, just to remember that he still held the scrunched-up magazine. He took a short breath and walked over to the cash register to pay for it. Of course, he added some beef jerky and some mints; he didn't want to be viewed as a creep.  
  
The alpha named Castiel caught up with him as soon as he left the shop and he had to admit that a tiny part of him would have been disappointed if he hadn't.  
  
"Dean," Castiel said unnecessarily because of course, the addressed had smelled him already. The fresh air outside thinned the scent at least a little bit out, and Dean decided to ignore the other in favour of getting to his car.  
  
He needed to think, and it was probably also the time to call his brother.  
  
"Wait, Dean," the alpha said again and apparently tried to stop him by holding onto his arm. That was the worst idea he could have had however because only seconds later he was pressed face first to the side of the next building, where the security cameras couldn't reach them anymore and had a knife to his throat.  
  
Dean realised his own mistake only a moment later. In their new position, he was twisting the alphas arm behind him and had his whole body pressed against the other's back, in a way that was supposed to show dominance. Right now it just brought Deans nose as close as physically possible to the origin of the most wonderful and mind-clouding scent he had ever smelled in his life, namely Castiel's scent glands.  
  
The omega couldn't help himself; he took a deep, long breath.  
  
Everything in himself screamed at him and went wonderfully quiet at the same time. Alpha. Mate. Home. Submit.  
  
It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced, and at the same time, he tried to fight back as much as possible, because this guy, Castiel, didn't deserve all the crap that was Dean Winchester's life.  
  
Dean lowered the knife as if in a trance and noticed how his own aroused scent, now clearly in the open, mixed with the other's. He wondered why Castiel didn't smell frightened just after having been threatened by a knife, but his mind started to cloud over again anyways.  
  
"Can I- can I call you Cas?" Dean asked, feeling slightly flustered. "You know, Castiel is kind of a mouthful." He felt Cas nodd and suddenly noticed that they were still in an awkward position, even if held loosely.  
  
"Sorry," Dean muttered as he stepped backwards. "Don't like to be touched."  
  
Actually, he wanted the other to touch him very, very badly. That was not good. The omega licked his lips unconsciously and stepped another step back, even if everything inside of him urged him to get closer to his alpha.  
  
Cas lifted his hands in a soothing manner and waves of calmness ebbed through his scent over to Dean. "I won't hurt you," he said as if it hadn't been him pressed to the wall just seconds ago.  
  
"As if you could," Dean countered and smiled a little involuntary. He could see that the other wanted to talk about something, but he needed air to think.  
  
"I need some time." Dean licked his lips again and could taste the alpha as he drew a deep breath through his mouth. "I need to think about this, maybe google some, ya know?"  
  
Cas nodded as if he didn't really want to but to continue their talk.  
  
"And I need you not to tell anybody about me. I mean the stuff with the, you know." He lowered his voice. "Robbery and so on."  
  
"If that is what you want, Dean," Cas replied and did this soul-scratching staring thing again. "Maybe, I can give you my phone number, in case you would like to talk sometime or maybe text. I like texting."  
  
Dean almost grinned for a second at how adorable the other was and how much he didn't fit the (very outdated) cliché of a strong, self-confident alpha. But Dean didn't fit the omega clichés as well, so who cared.  
  
After a second of searching his body, Dean just offered his magazine to Cas and could see how the other tried to suppress a smile as he scribbled the digits on it, with a pen he had emerged from his vest pocket. He has beautiful handwriting, the Winchester noticed as Cas ended just above the right boob of the girl on the cover.  
  
They smiled, waved awkwardly at each other as they said their goodbyes and Dean wandered off to his car. He really needed to talk to somebody now.


	2. Fire me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has a necessary talk with his brother.  
> When Crowley is in trouble, it's, of course, the older Winchester who comes for a rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hya my fellow Destiel fans.  
> Never wrote A/B/O before but it has been fun so far :)

"Hey, Dean, what's wrong?" the voice at the other end of the phone call asked after the third ring and Dean smiled and huffed at the same time because this was his little brother, but he always answered his phone with this question.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, Sammy," Dean replied and tried to figure out how to tell him. He actually hadn't allowed himself to think about anything else on his drive home and the ten minutes he had paced in his apartment.  
  
"How is my little brother doing up in higher society?" he settled on and hoped his nervousness wasn't showing in his voice. They had always made fun of College people and lawyers and stuff when they were kids until Sam had announced, that he wanted to become one himself. Dean had always supported him since he was the only one left after their dad had lost his war against the alcohol, but deep down he had never understood how Sam wanted to help kids like they had been this way. At least he had gotten away from the streets, and that was all that mattered for the omega.  
  
"Am fine. You remember Jess? I introduced you two last time you visited." Dean nodded even if his brother couldn't see him. "Well it's getting pretty serious, and I plan on asking her to marry me."  
  
"Wow, that's awesome, Sammy," Dean uttered, his own problems forgotten for a second. His brother would really make it, he would really get the life he deserved. A Family, pups. A quiet life.  
  
Dean fiddled with the sleave of the flannel he was wearing. Maybe he shouldn't be burdening his brother with this but he really needed someone to talk to, and there wasn't really someone else.  
  
"What's wrong, Dean?" Damn, the silence had probably been stretching for too long.  
  
"Nothing, it's just-" To hell with it. "I met this guy, Castiel, but I call him Cas for short, he says we're 'True Mates' or something like that, because he could smell me through my scent blockers and he smells like heaven, but that can't be because, ya know, I'm- I'm not a mating type of person, true or not and I just thought, since you know everything about everything, ya know..."  
  
He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it. Everything he saw, when he closed his eyes were these damn, big, blue orbits.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait, Dean," his brother interrupted him. "You  met an alpha?"  
  
"Yes." Dean sighed. That wasn't the point.  
  
"Were you out drinking or what were you doing?" Still not the point. And it sounded a little accusing.  
  
"No, we, err, met in a fuel station. He works there," Dean said trying to keep it as vague as possible. His brother had never understood his lifestyle now that he could do everything he wanted according to him.  
  
"And he could smell you, even if you were wearing scent blockers? Are you sure?" I'm not an idiot, Sam, he wanted to yell, but he didn't because maybe he was, a little.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," he replied instead and added, cheeks turning a little red without his consent. "And I had the great urge to- to please him and, ya know, stay close to him as soon as I smelled his scent. It was really intoxicating, and he told me mine was to him as well." His omega wanted to purr at that thought again.  
  
"What did you do then?" the voice at the other end asked and Dean really wanted to inform him, that it was still not the point.  
  
"I- told him I needed time to think. And then I went home to talk to my brother, who I thought could help me with this, but apparently, he can't." He knew he was being unfair, but he felt himself starting to panic a little.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I actually have a book, in which True Mates are mentioned, wait a second." Dean rolled his eyes because of course, he had.  
  
After a moment of shuffling noises, his brother seemed to pick up the phone again.  
  
"Okay, here it is. It's some kind of older law book, where omegas were still owned by alphas, so don't be irritated by the language." Dean almost chuckled at that, because his big, goofy little brother had always cared too much about how others felt.  
  
"Alright, I quote: True Mates is a pair of an alpha and his omega, for who the act of mating is unavoidable. The two of them will feel a great pull towards each other, blah, blah. Ah, this sounds like it: Within certain proximity, the pair will always be able to scent each other, even if disguised. Upon being mated, each party will always be able to locate the other and in rare cases know about their wellbeing. Eh, well, and this one: As soon as the omega smells their true mate for the first time, they will know, since they will want to please the other in any possible way. The alpha will know because the omega will listen to whatever they say immediately." Dean swallowed hard.  
  
"The amount of recorded true mates has gone down over the centuries, and it is to be warned to believe and omega, yeah, whatever." There was a long silence afterwards, in which Deans panic slowly started to increase. This was precisely what had happened. But it sounded as if Castiel had no other choice but to get mated to him and that was a fate, nobody should be burdened with. Hell, what happened to free will after all?  
  
"Did that happen to you, Dean?" Sam sounded a bit worried, probably because the older Winchester wasn't saying anything. "Did he- did he hurt you?" Dean almost laughed, because of what had actually happened, but it wasn't really a funny situation. What if this guy had been some kind of knothead? What things had happened in the past to omegas who weren't as strong as Dean was?  
  
"No, no," he reassured his brother hastily. "Actually it kinda was the other way around."  
  
"Dean." The younger Winchester sounded as if he knew what was about to come.  
  
"I may or may not have threatened him with a knife when he tried to talk to me." And a gun, but who counted?  
  
Sam groaned at the other end of the phone.  
  
"Relax, it isn't as if he hadn't given his phone number to me," Dean slightly mumbled the last part, but of course his brother understood him.  
  
"That's good," he exclaimed sounding like a happy puppy. "When will you meet him again?" His little brother, always the optimist.  
  
"I- I haven't really decided yet if I will," he stammered, trying to sound as small as possible since he knew what his brother said to his idea of self-worth.  
  
"He's probably a nice, normal guy, who doesn't want anything to do with a criminal like me. Hell, even I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with me." The last part came out a little overdramatic, so he hastily explained to his brother what had really happened during their first meeting and how that meant, they shouldn't be seeing each other ever again.  
  
"Yeah, I found the part with the heat and rut as well," Sam concluded after verbally shaking his head over Dean's behaviour a few times. "It's written here, that it happens to make sure both parties mate directly, or else they will suffer more and more each heat/rut since their bodies tell them to get together." Dean didn't know what to say.  
  
"You should at least talk to him," his brother voiced after some time of silence. "Since he already knows part of your big, bad secret, and is still willing to have a conversation, you should probably hear him out."  
  
"I will think about it, Sammy." The older Winchester knew Sam was right but didn't want to admit it.  
  
"Keep me updated," Sam hastily fit in before Dean ended the phone call and stared at the device for some time. Maybe he should at least talk to Cas. Maybe he just wanted to hear that deep voice again.

  
-

  
Dean slept for almost fourteen hours, after having laid down for a nap until he was woken by the sound of his phone ringing. It was Crowley's ringtone, Gives You Hell from The All-American Rejects, and that couldn't mean anything good.  
  
"Winchester," the voice on the other end barked, before Dean could even open his mouth after accepting the call.  
  
"Yes," Dean answered and rolled his eyes. For some people, it was hard to believe that this guy wasn't an alpha.  
  
"Remember that thing that was going down tonight in the old warehouse with the guys from Heaven's angels, where I said you didn't have to come? Well, you need to come here right now. I send you the locations." Dean heard the sound of a phone call ending and took a deep breath. Well, he had to go now, didn't he?  
  
Upon arriving at the giant, abandoned building, Dean parked his car in a hidden side street, but not too far away for if they suddenly had to bail.  
  
He remembered Crowley talking about this meeting, some kind of territorial tit for tat, and that the omega didn't have to come, because they had enough guns and 'tough guys'. Dean could only laugh at that. If the beta was the head of the organisation, the omega definitively was his brain.  
  
He got out of his car, stored his gun in the back of his pants and slowly crept over to a window in the building.  
  
Inside, he could see two figures, both aimed with full-automatic riffles, clothed in black with the white angel wings, the sign of the Heaven's gang on their backs. They seemed to be looking out for or guarding something, and Dean used a short moment where they looked the other direction to lift himself inside and in the shadows to his right.  
  
It actively looked, as if Crowley had done something stupid and gotten himself in trouble of some kind. Dean found his suspicions were confirmed when another black-clothed figure approached the two and the words "want the second", and "revenge" were floating over to him.  
  
All right then, he thought and got himself ready for a fight. If Crowley dug himself into the dirt, there had to be a Winchester to dig him out again. It had always been like that and would probably stay this way forever.  
  
As soon as the third person had disappeared, the omega sprung into action. He approached the person closest to him and decided on a way to knock them both out at the same time so no one would shout.  
  
He jumped one guy, held a hand over his mouth, while he used the momentum, to kick the other person, a woman, in the face. Then he pressed his arm around the first person's neck to cut off his airways until he stopped moving.  
  
Heavy alpha pheromones emerged from the two unconscious bodies, and Dean almost laughed at that. Well, what did it help them now?  
  
Making sure they couldn't move or speak as soon they woke up and wouldn't be seen by somebody passing, the Winchester slowly made his way to the more enlightened part of the building, leaving the area were where a lot of big, dark objects were located which had been useful as hiding spots.  
  
Crouching behind a pile of old cupboards and stuff, Dean noticed his boss, who sat on a chair about 30 feet away from him and was surrounded by angels with big, impressive looking guns. The omega searched for his gang mates for a second until he found a few unconscious on the floor and a few being held hostage by other angels.  
  
The head of the other gang, as Dean recognised, a shady, about fifty-years-old alpha called Zachariah, was leaning over Crowly, seemingly threatening him.  
  
The Winchester rolled his eyes. This display of dominance was not at all necessary since the Heaven's angels were a far more influential gang, who shouldn't ever feel any threat from the demons. And still, they tried their displays of dominance from time to time.  
  
There was no way, the omega would be able to defeat them, so he decided to use his special move. Acting, not thinking. At least he dropped a remote-controlled bomb in the stack of cupboards and the pile to his right before he emerged from his hiding.  
  
Everybody turned towards him as a reaction to his entrance, as if they had expected to hear from their guards or at least see him shown in constrained or in cuffs.  
  
"Dean Winchester," Zachariah exclaimed as he straightened himself as if he hadn't expected him. Crowley looked rather grim, being held in check by guns but Dean couldn't find Benny and hoped he had stayed home.  
  
"Let them go," Dean just replied as if it wasn't his side that was completely outnumbered. Fake self-confidence was what had brought him to where he was now.  
  
"I'm sorry, that won't be possible." Dean wanted to kick the others fake-pitying look directly off his face. "But since you finally have arrived, I can reveal the cause of our gathering." A few of Zachariah's minions pointed their guns at the omega, and he just rolled his eyes for everybody to see.  
  
"Did someone step onto your tie?" Dean asked even if he knew he shouldn't. Provoking people who were more powerful than he was, was a thing that always let to more trouble.  
  
"No, I actually wanted to talk about your old man." Dean almost choked on his own spit but regained his composure quickly.  
  
"What's with him?" he asked even if he actually really didn't want to know. It couldn't be anything good.  
  
"You know in the old days," Zack started as if he wanted to tell a story and had all the time in the world, "your dad pissed a lot of people off a lot of times. But there was this one glorious act of him, where he betrayed not only me and my kind but also yours." There was something about leaders of gangs in this town that made them act overly dramatic all the time.  
  
"Now, besides the revenge we're still holding in since then, caused by his tremendous act of treason, he also stole something from us. And we want it back." Dean frantically searched for an exit from this situation and noticed Crowley, King of Hell, motioning towards a panel to the omega's left, that was apparently controlling something. Following the electric cords to the ceiling, Dean slowly understood what his boss was hinting at. And it seemed to be their only way out.  
  
"So, what is this thing my dad stole again?" Dean asked to buy them some time to figure out a plan, but everything he thought of meant that he had to rely on Crowley. And he hated to rely on people.  
  
"Ah, why, but you must know about it," Zack replied. "He must have handed it down to you with his death." Well, you didn't know my dad then, Dean thought and was very aware of the fact, that he was not far enough away from the bombs he had deposited not to get hurt when they got off. He really had to trust at least in the fact, that Crowley wanted one thing above all: his own survival.  
  
Taking a deep breath, the omega got ready. He hoped his men would not leave him back when he got injured, and for a second Cas' face appeared in front of his inner eye. Maybe he should have called him earlier.  
  
The second Dean pressed the button attached to a ring on his left hand, hell went lose around him. He had tried to jump, to get further away from the explosions, but it was no use; he flew around the room like a puppet cut loose from its strings.  
  
He couldn't see much, and the impact drew all the air from his lungs, but he noticed how Crowley, almost unharmed from the explosion used the distraction to run to the board and press the button to release the long neon lamps high in the air.  
  
Dean only knew, that there was a button for that since they had inspected the warehouse two weeks ago to search for any emergency exits, and/or possibilities for a trap.  
  
The Winchester neither saw how people tried to get out of the way of the falling lamps nor did he recognise where the shootings were coming from since his vision got blurry for a few seconds. He must have hit his head pretty bad.  
  
Dean came to all of his senses again, well maybe except full hearing, when something heavy hit his left leg. From there a gut-wrenching pain was screaming up to him, or perhaps it was him, who was screaming, but in any case, the blackness that was invading his mind, seemed to be a way better alternative to reality.  
  
The last thing, Dean Winchester saw, before he lost his consciousness, were beautiful, bright blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally favourize Gives You Hell from the All-American Rejects as a theme song for Crowley, but I'm open for other suggestions :D


	3. Heal me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean had been hurt pretty bad before, but there had never been an alpha worrying over him, who was also his true mate and impossible to scare away.

  
Dean had a dream. It kind of was a happy dream, where he lived the picket-fenced apple-pie live he had never dared to wish for, where he was content in a way maybe his brother deserved it but he didn't.  
  
In this dream, the omega stood just outside a cute little house, thinking about how he probably had to cut the lawn tomorrow (because even in his dreams he was not a weak little omega, who couldn't do any task, that was usually done by an alpha), when a man with blue eyes and dark brown hair stepped behind him, balancing a small child on his hips.  
  
He couldn't see the face of the child nor could he make out where they were, but there was this all prominent feeling of completeness surrounding them, that Dean had never felt in his real life before.  
  
When he slowly drifted out of the depths of his wonderfully delusional mind, he was quickly reminded of why his consciousness had kept him down before.  
  
The worst thing was the pain in his head shortly followed by his left leg. He tried to remember how he had gotten in a bed under a blanket, but every second of thinking, the pain got worse. He wanted to open his mouth and ask where the hell he was but remembered that he should probably open his eyes first.  
  
The light was too bright, even if it was dimmed a little and everything in the room seemed to be white. The ceiling, the walls, the hangings in front of the windows; what didn't mean it didn't take a minute for Dean to recognise, that he was in a hospital. All the stuff he went through as a kid on the road had nurtured his distaste for hospitals, and it must mean there were a lot of things wrong when he was here.  
  
Lifting his head a little was a challenge for the omega, but he managed to look around the room and spot his giant of a brother in one of the white plastic chairs, sleeping. If the sasquatch was already here, Dean must have been under for at least a few days, and he didn't like the thought of that.  
  
"Sam," Dean croaked out because he really didn't want to wake his brother, but the guy would probably have a stiff neck by tomorrow from sleeping this way. Years of training got the younger Winchester out of his slumber by milliseconds.  
  
"Dean, you're awake," Sam stated as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world and got over to check on him. He couldn't do a lot, but his hands roamed over Dean's hidden frame and drove him crazy.  
  
"How long have I been down?" the omega asked because he just couldn't get his head around the events. There had been an explosion and something falling down, but then it got dark.  
  
"About four days. I don't really know when they brought you in, but Benny contacted me on Friday." That was good. Benny was alive, Thursday had been the day of the disastrous meeting.  
  
"How bad is it?" Dean asked and cut his brother off in the act, who had just opened his mouth to say something. Probably that he wanted him to quit or something sappy.  
  
"Well you hit your head pretty hard and had a concussion which resulted in twenty stitches around here," Sammy said and motioned something on his own head. The older brother groaned. That meant they had shaved the back of his head and he had to run around like an idiot for weeks.  
  
"And then there was the... heavy object nobody could identify, that had fallen on your left leg and partly on your right foot. The shinbone was broken in three places, and your foot was dislocated, after which they had to operate twice." If he noticed Dean going as white as the sheets, he didn't comment on it.  
  
"Your right foot is okay if you were wondering about that, just a few cuts from the... object, that seemed to have contained glass. By the way, you have them all over your backside along with a few second-degree burnings and now tell me: were you trying to kill yourself or what?" At the end of his speech, he was almost shouting, and Dean really hoped the nurses wouldn't hear him.  
  
"No, I wasn't," Dean tried to find an excuse but couldn't so he decided to drag a hand over his face, what resulted in some pain in his back. "I was just savin' Crowley's ass, ya know. The angels wanted to prove a point or something."  
  
Sam had already groaned at the name of the head of the gang and was now shaking his head.  
  
"You know you should quit," Sam said, and Dean rolled his eyes because he had known this was about to come. "Having found your true mate and all, you could finally settle down into the life we were never allowed to have as kids."  
  
"Well, even if I decided on doing that, the guy wouldn't want me." Dean had intended for this to come out a lot snappier than it did and mentally scolded himself. He shouldn't drag his brother into his stupid problems.  
  
"There is only one way to find out," the younger Winchester answered visibly constraining his anger and fished something out of his jacket pocket. It was a very crumpled exemplar of 'Busty Asian Beauties'.  
  
"Found this while getting fresh clothes for you. If you don't call him, I will," Sam said with a threatening look in his eyes, and Dean took the magazine. He mimicked for his brother to hand over his phone and dialled the number.  
  
It rang three times.  
  
"Hello?" a gravelly voice at the other end asked and Dean felt a shiver running down his spine. He hadn't noticed just how much he had yearned to hear that voice again.  
  
"It- it's Dean." Graceful way to start, Dean. His brother raised his brows and seemed to amuse himself way too much.  
  
"Dean, oh. Hello Dean," Cas stammered as if he hadn't expected for the other to call. He had his rights, Dean thought since it had already been five days. "Are you alright, Dean?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," the omega answered automatically and earned a scolding look from his brother. "I mean, I'm in a hospital."  
  
"Wha- what happened?" There was some shuffling as if the other was putting clothes on while trying to keep the phone to his ear.  
Oh god, what time was it?  
  
"No, nothing too bad. Just t a- a car accident." Dean shrugged at the eye roll his brother directed at him. What, was he supposed to tell this gas station worker, that he had blown up a warehouse because his boss had gone to a gang meeting with too few people and too less ammo?  
  
"Which hospital? I'll come," the alpha stated just like that as if it wasn't probably three in the morning.  
  
"No, you don't need to, I need to rest anyways," Dean tried to say, but the phone was snatched from his hand. Sam shortly told Cas who he was and which hospital he would have to come to while Dean tried to kill him with a look. Then he hung up.  
  
"Dean, what are you doing, you need to rest. Your mate is arriving soon." Dean wanted to strangle his brother but couldn't get up. "I'll call a nurse for some morphine," he added, and the omega was thankful for like a second or something.

  
_

  
  
The next time Dean woke up, it was to an outright divine scent and more pain in his leg than his head. He took a deep breath and regretted it a little regarding the pain the movement caused in his back, but also cherished it because the scent calmed him down.  
  
He opened his eyes and lifted his head, just to see Cas sitting cross-legged in the chair, Sam had apparently vacated, reading a book. He looked up as he heard Dean move and his eyes went comically wide.  
  
"Hello, Dean," he said in that deep voice of his, and the addressed tried to scoot back on the bed for the following conversation to be more comfortable. That was apparently not possible without flinching which in turn got Cas to get up and bring this heavenly scent of his closer.  
  
"Do you need anything? Shall I call for a nurse?" Dean just shook his head. He had been worse.  
  
"What are you doing here?" the omega asked, noticing too late that it sounded quite rude. Well, no brother here now to stop him from saying stuff that made the alpha go. Which he apparently didn't.  
  
"It was my- inner alpha. I don't listen to it much but since the night after we saw each other last time I had this constant nagging feeling in the back of my head that you were hurt. It seems as if it was right," Cas added the last part after a short pause, worry in his voice. "It told me I shouldn't have left you out of sight and not to do so anytime in the future." He squinted in a way Dean had marked as adorable and tilted his head to the side.  
  
"What else does it tell you?" Dean asked breathlessly because he couldn't wrap his head around things. How could he have known that it had been that night? Maybe he had talked to the nurses.  
  
"It tells me to get to know you," Cas simply stated and stared into the other eyes with his blue gaze not blinking once. Dean had to look away after some time because he couldn't stand the tension.  
  
"You shouldn't want to get to know me, Cas. I'm a criminal." He said the last part as quiet as possible since there could always be somebody listening. "I have threatened you with a gun. And a knife."  
  
Cas got a quizzical look on his face, then a look of understanding drew across it.  
  
"You don't believe," he simply stated and then carried on. "You don't believe that nature or whatever god there is, makes true mates perfect for each other. I just knew that you would never harm me since you are the person that fits me the best on earth and I don't wanna die. Or get hurt"  
  
Deans head swam. Of course, it was logical in its own way but that only worked if you believed the stuff with the true mates was, well, true.  
  
"I could be a rapist. Or a murderer." Cas looked surprised for a second but caught himself quickly.  
  
"Well, you could be, but you wouldn't harm me. I could at least get to know you and understand that it was maybe not your fault that you became the person you are now."  
  
"I'm not the same person I was created as," Dean still tried to argue but he began to understand that the other was about as stubborn if not more than he was. "I changed since birth, ya know?"  
  
Cas just chuckled at first. Was he making fun of the omega? But he sounded so genuinely happy, that Dean couldn't find himself being offended.  
  
"Yes the thing with the free will, I understand," was what the alpha voiced after some time still smiling. "I believe, that, to a certain degree, your personality, your essence was already defined by your DNA, the parents you were born to, the way your body would evolve and the hormones you get during your life. But I could be wrong, of course. Maybe you would like to get to know me and find out."  
  
Cas tilted his head again to one side and there was no way Dean could say no to those eyes.  
  
"Urg, all right what do you wanna know?" the omega asked rolling his eyes and motioning for the other to get a chair. The gummy-showing grin he earned in return was something Dean wanted to be framed on his wall. Damn, what was he thinking?  
  
"I met your brother, he seems to be very kind," Cas started and Dean felt a mixture of pride and dread settle in his stomach. He hoped Sammy hadn't said anything stupid. "Is he your only sibling?"  
  
That way, Dean told the alpha everything about his family he thought was save to be known. The death of his mother in a house fire when he had been four, the time he had to act as a mother and father to Sam since their dad had started to drown himself in alcohol and shady business. When Cas asked how he ended up robbing fuel stations, Dean just said he needed to pay for Sam's college. It was not as if there wasn't a part in himself that enjoyed what he did, but he somehow didn't want the other to know.  
  
When it came to be Cas turn to tell about his family, Dean got a little distracted by the way the other's lips moved and how he folded his legs under himself, not wearing any shoes. What he caught was that the alpha had a gigantic family, but a lot of them had died a few years ago in a car crash while Cas had been in college, what had made him decide to come back here. He had one brother left, Gabriel, who didn't like to be bound to one place and a sister Anna, who was still in high school and who he tried to support now by working in the fuel station.  
  
Everything he said made Dean think the alpha was too good, too pure for him and take his stuff and run as far away as possible.  
  
"Can I scent you?" Cas suddenly asked and shook his head afterwards while taking a deep breath. "I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't intend to be this straightforward. It's just the alpha voice telling me to reassure myself that you are going to be okay."  
  
He said the last part very quiet and Dean had to admit there was this constant nagging feeling in him as well to get closer to the other. So, he just nodded and tried to straighten up a little more. One could at least scratch together the last bit of dignity there still was.  
  
The alpha got up slowly as if to not scare a wild animal and lowered his face towards Deans. For a second the omega thought he would kiss him and was kind of glad he didn't because he wouldn't have known what to do then.  
  
What happened next was kind of what Dean had expected and kind of not. He instinctively bared his throat as what his brain claimed as his alpha lowered his nose towards it.  
  
Then he was hit by that smell.  
  
It was like rainstorm and flowers and home and mate and it clouded Dean's mind and made his head spin. The omega really wanted to embrace his alpha and never ever let go again.  
  
"What do I smell like?" Dean asked quietly as the other didn't say anything for some time. They almost touched were Cas face was buried in the side of Dean's neck where his scent glands were located.  
  
At first, Cas just growled, what brought shivers over Dean, but then he lifted his head to look into the other's eyes. There was a hint of alpha red surrounding the sky-blue colour of them and, damn, if that didn’t turn the omega an. He felt his dick getting hard and squirmed a little. He didn’t want to lie in slick, just because some stranger seemed to like his smell.  
  
“You smell like pie and home and,” Cas answered not noticing the others distress and getting a distant look in his eyes, “sunshine and the sea.” Dean creased his brow, trying to keep himself from purring, but it was no use. He felt himself slick as Cas looked down at him and growled again.  
  
Then his actions suddenly seemed to catch up with the alpha.  
  
He reeled back and tried to put as much distance between the two of them as possible in the small hospital room. Pressed to the far wall, Cas stared wide-eyed at Dean.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Dean. I shouldn’t have…” he trailed off and seemingly tried to take deep breaths over there. Dean felt himself shaking a little at the rejection his body interpreted the other’s behaviour as. He didn’t know anymore where his own thoughts began and his inner omega’s desires ended.  
  
“It’s okay,” Dean said not fully automatic and tried to sit up more to be able to better catch the alpha’s expression. This seemed to pull something located on his back and he clenched his teeth together in pain. Damn, those stupid stitches.  
  
Cas was at his side again at an instant but kept more distance than before.  
  
“Dean,” the alpha whispered, reflecting the desperation Dean felt roaring through himself. He eyed the button to call the nurse but seemed to refrain from reaching over the other.  
  
“It’s okay,” the omega repeated and let himself relax against the pillows again. He didn’t feel anything wet behind him so he hoped, he hadn’t pulled any stitches. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Dean continued referring to the earlier situation. “It’s not your fault, that our bodies react this way. Relax, okay?” The last part came out sourer than he had intended.  
  
“You don’t like not being in control,” Cas concluded pulling the chair over so he could sit beside Dean. “ I’m sorry I used my alpha voice on you when we first met.”  
  
He didn’t know what it was, maybe these words, the absurdity of the situation or the face the other made, Dean just couldn’t keep it in anymore. He felt how whole-heartedly laughter bubbled up his chest, in a way he hadn’t felt since he was a kid.  
  
After a moment of confusion, Cas joined him and they chuckled until the omega held his sides in pain.  
  
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting anything?” Sam’s voice suddenly piped up, his head carefully piped through the now open door. When both men shook their heads, the giant entered the room and patted Dean’s healthy leg.  
  
“The nurses want me to tell you that the doctor wants to talk to you,” the younger Winchester summarized. “They didn’t want to come in since it smelled like, you know…” Dean had to muster all his strength to not turn red like a tomato, but his brother seemed relaxed.  
  
“Hey, nobody comments on your, ya know,” Dean tried for a comeback, but he had never been good at those, “sex life.” As soon as it was out, the omega wanted to watch Cas reaction but didn’t dare to look over to him.  
  
Sam just went over to the windows and opened them a little.

  
  
-

  
  
When Dean was allowed to go home after another week, he was at same parts euphorically and dreadful. It had been so easy to talk to Cas in the hospital, no way they could give in to their desire to touch each other. Save ground so to say.  
  
He was also afraid, that Crowley or one of the others would contact him as soon as he was home and he really didn’t want to talk to them for some reason. Maybe he didn’t want to connect those two worlds.  
  
He had an arm slung over his gigantic brother's shoulder and they were followed by Cas as they entered Dean's apartment. Both men had insisted to come since the omega didn't really seem to be able to put weight on any of his feet and an infection of the biggest burn wound on his right shoulder blade had just gone down.  
  
"Couch," Dean pressed out at the questioning look of his brother, trying and failing not to show his pain. The doctors had advised him to stay another week, but every minute in that hospital just felt suffocating. With a groan, Dean was lowered to the black couch in the middle of his room on which he promptly laid down and closed his eyes. Who could have guessed that walking could be so hard?  
  
Concerned alpha scent wove over to him and he tried to regain his posture. He sometimes was very lucky, that he couldn't smell Sam as much.  
  
"I'm gonna make coffee," Sam announced after a few seconds of Dean staring into Cas eyes. They didn't do that often, did they?  
  
"How are you feeling?" Cas asked, brow furrowed. Dean motioned for him to sit down in the armchair. He suddenly really wanted to give the other a blanket or a pillow so he could rub his scent all over those and Dean never had to let it go again.  
  
"'M fine," Dean answered, but Cas knew by now that this verbal confirmation meant nothing and he raised a brow. "I will be better, okay? Stop worrying so much."  
  
The alpha opened his mouth to say something when Sam got back to the room with three steaming cups in his hands. Of course, Dean only got herbal tea.  
  
The omega surprised himself by asking: "Hey Sammy, do you know anything about a thing that dad would have handed down to us? Something he really wanted to protect?" It wasn't the first time he had wondered about the thing that had brought him to all this pain, so at least his anger towards his dad has substituted.  
  
"No, not that I remember," Sam replied, brows furrowed. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Dean contemplated for a second of what to tell the others, especially if Cas was around. But maybe this was exactly what he needed to do to make the other understand that he wasn't good enough for him.  
  
"Just some- some guy asked for something dad apparently has stolen from them. Wouldn't tell me what it was but it seemed to be pretty important." Dean swallowed a sip of his tea. Buah, he'd never liked that stuff. Maybe he could convince his brother, that Bourbon would be better for his healing process.  
  
"What guy?" Sammy asked and he had this suspicious look on his face he got when they talked about Dean's shady work. It was silent for a second as Dean looked around the loft-like flat with its bare walls.  
  
"His name's Zachariah. Tried to turn Crowley and the others into mousse because of that thing but I beat him to it." There was a hint of bitter humour to the omegas voice and he wasn't able to look into his alphas eyes. The alphas. Whatever. Telling somebody you had been injured in a car crash when almost all of their family had died in one was bad enough, but stating it was actually your fault...  
  
"Zachariah? What was his last name?" Cas suddenly asked and Dean looked over to him. In his blue eyes, there was a puzzled look as if he tried to solve worlds greatest mystery in Dean's two-room apartment.  
  
"Uh, dunno, I mean, I didn't have time to ask him about it, but he's kind of in this famous family business, so it's probably Milton, I suppose," Dean heard himself brabble as he watched the other's expression change from confusion to horror.  
  
"How do you know him?" Cas asked and it was not more than a whisper.  
  
"How do _you_ know him?" Sam chimed in because even if he had never met Zachariah, their dad had talked a lot about him when he had been drunk. And it had never been nice things.  
  
"I think he's the one who killed my family by causing that car crash," Cas dropped like a bomb, his expression changing in one of distaste. "You know, the one that brought me back here." Dean could see Sam nod out of the corner of his eye, but could only stare himself.  
  
"Why- why would he do that?" Dean asked feeling as if they were driving towards a cliff. He tried to straighten himself up a little more but the morphine he had taken earlier was starting to kick in. Cas seemed to take a deep breath to prepare himself of what he was going to say next.  
  
"Because he is my uncle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh-duh-duuhhh...


	4. Kiss me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many days can Dean Winchester live without Castiel before he goes and searches for him? Or rather limps.

"So Zachariah, head of the Heaven's angels is your biological uncle?" Sam asked for the umpteenth time while pacing the room. Dean wondered for a brief second why he hadn't gone home by now, to his beautiful fiancée, into his normal life.

 

"Yes," Cas answered not nearly as annoyed as Dean felt himself. "But we have never spoken much. My father had tried to turn away from that part of the family, to protect us as he used to say."

 

"Wait," Dean suddenly interrupted, following a horrifying train of thoughts. "Zack doesn't have any children. Doesn't that make you the legitimate heir of the leadership of the angels? Holy hell."

 

"Actually that would be my brother Gabriel, but he has been missing for a while now. I only knew about our family's secret business when they told us at the funeral, and I think that's what had driven him away." Dean noticed with a fraction of his mind that Cas really needed to learn to express sadness or anger better while the rest was thinking about what could have been.

 

If Cas had been raised in the family business like Sam and Dean had, he would have probably become the head of the gang one day. There was an unspoken arrangement within the Hell's demons, that as soon as Crowley deceased or disappeared, his second, Dean Winchester would step into his place. What meant that their first meeting would have gone a lot different. What meant, that that thing in the warehouse would not have ended well for the demons at all.

 

Dean shuddered involuntarily at that thought, both at the fear that scene would have brought to him but also at the arousal. Damn omega hormones.

 

Cas suddenly looked straight into the older Winchesters eyes, and Dean recognised that he must have smelled him. He swallowed before looking down.

 

"Out of your knowledge of the 'angel's' gang hierarchies, I must assume, that you're not just a random robber. Are you in the gang?" Why did that guy still not look afraid? Any sane person would be running like hell by now.

 

"No, our dad had some business with demons and angels both, and he dragged us into it," Sam revealed despite the death-threatening glare he received from his brother. To hell, if they had already gone this far, what did it matter now.

 

"I'm the second in command with the Hell's demons," Dean heard himself say without any pride in his voice. Other people went to college, Dean Winchester went to hell instead.

 

To the omegas worry, Cas still didn't look scared. "That's how you got yourself hurt," he just concluded, calm as always.

 

"Yeah," Dean bit back, sudden anger bubbling underneath his skin. "And that's why you should stay away from me. This life, it's nothing for you two. You should get out as long as you can."

 

"But it is for you?" the alpha suddenly roared, having jumped over to Dean, lifting him by the collar. "You were dragged into this against your will by your father. Do you really think you deserve this?" He looked like a raging angel like this, Dean thought as he searched for an answer in those deep blue orbits. Every fibre of him told him to submit, but he couldn't, that just wasn't him.

 

Cas slowly lowered him down again as the fire in his eyes died.

 

"I am sorry for my outburst," he stated as he looked down and got to his feet. "It seems as if I am required at my next shift. They are cutting the staff, and I need the job."

 

Only after the alpha had gotten his jacket and left the door, Dean got the meaning of his words. They were firing people because the demons had robbed them. How could he be so damn dumb all the time?

 

The sound of his brother clearing his throat was what got Dean out of his trance. He hadn't even noticed he had been staring at his own door until now.

 

"I'm gonna order some burgers and call Jess, alright?" Sam asked, and the omega could just nod. Maybe he had gotten rid of the alpha for good this time.

 

-

 

A few days later, Dean was sure that he had gotten rid of the alpha. It was lucky that his brother had left after making sure Dean could fend for himself since all he did from then on was sulking.

 

He tried to tell himself that this was what he had wanted. He had tried to get rid of Cas from the beginning, thinking of himself as not good enough for the other, but now that he got what he wanted it felt wrong.

 

In a very weak moment, he had even tried to call Cas, but the other had just declined and written a short message. 'I'm sorry, Dean, I can't talk right now.' Well, way to go Winchester.

 

On the third day, Crowley had called to tell him, that the angels had been searching the diner and when Dean had been so disappointed that the other wasn't Cas that he snapped. He told Crowley to fuck off, he knew the other would understand it, and decided to take matters in his own hands.

 

With a lot of effort, Dean wrapped his leg up, showered and got dressed. His right foot was still hurting a little, but he decided to suck it up and gather his crutches. About twenty minutes later he was at the next bus station.

 

As the bus arrived, Dean could already see from afar, that the driver was the same as the night he met Cas. How was that even possible. Bobby, as he had introduced himself last time just rose his eyebrows as the doors slid open. Dean smiled a little at the other's gruff face and got seated right behind him. He had to admit that taking the bus was not as bad as he had always phrased it, but he would really rather take his car. Which was located at a back alley close to the diner according to Crowley. Which he couldn't drive anyway because of his leg.

 

When he got out at the Gas'n Sip, he contemplated for the umpteenth time this day if the risk of getting caught was really worth it. Something deep inside of him told him it was.

 

He limped inside and noticed immediately, not only from a look but also from the smell that Cas wasn’t here. Damn, why couldn’t things be easy for once? After a few seconds of contemplating his options, Dean approached a short, brunette woman, who was currently stacking away snacks.

 

“Hi, erm, I was wondering,” Dean started and tried to remember how he had always been so confident and flirty around girls before he had met Cas. The woman had turned and looked at him with big eyes, but not unfriendly. She must have noticed the cast.

 

“I am searching for Cas- Castiel. He normally works here, maybe you can tell me when is his next shift?” Wow, that even sounded creepy in Deans ears. “I mean, I’m not a creep or something, just looking for a friend who went missing.” Now her eyebrows were disappearing underneath her fringes. Great.

 

“Wait, are you Dean?” the lady suddenly asked as realisation drew across her face. It was now Deans turn to be confused, so he just nodded.

 

“Castiel has been talking a lot about you.” She smiled understandingly now, and Dean felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “He has been visiting you in the hospital for a few weeks now, and I got curious,” she explained and shrugged. “But he hasn’t been in, at least a few days, asked me to take a few of his shifts. I can give you his address though.”

 

Dean’s mood went from embarrassed to euphoric. What did he care what this girl thought about him, the only thing important was what _Cas_ thought about him. When had he become such a sap? What was with ‘the other was better off without him’? Every fibre inside of him yearned for the alpha.

 

What if something had happened to him? Without his consent, dread settled in Deans stomach.

 

As soon as the woman gave him the address, scribbled neatly on a piece of paper, the omega tried to bolt out of the shop. Outside he needed a few attempts to type the address in his phone since his hands were shaking badly. Maybe he should have brought his gun.

 

When it turned out for Cas home to just be two blocks away, Dean limped there as fast as his crutches would take him.

 

The omega arrived at a narrow two-storey building in a row of similar ones. He found the call button with the name Novak on it, a detail the lady had explained to him as well, and rang it. There had been only a few times in his life when Dean had been this nervous.

 

The wooden door was opened and revealed a young girl with long, red hair, probably Cas sister. She wore a casual jeans and shirt combination, probably got her style from Cas, and Dean watched her eyebrows rise higher and higher as she looked him over. He probably still looked like shit, but at least he had thought of covering his head wounds with a cap.

 

"Hi, I'm searching for Cas- uhh, Castiel," Dean managed to awkwardly blur out and tried to keep his posture as straight as possible afterwards. He got this far, he wouldn't back down now.

 

"Hello, I'm Anna," the girl said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And you must be Dean." Why did everybody already know his name? "You know he's been screaming your name for days now and it's pretty annoying. I mean he thinks I can't hear him, but the walls are not that thick." Wait, what?

 

Before Dean could contemplate on that any longer, another human form appeared in the entrance hall behind Anna. The omega stopped breathing for a second.

 

There stood his alpha, pyjama bottoms on but no top or socks, hair ruffled in a way as if he just exited his bed and a three-day stubble on his cheeks. Then he looked up, and the light from outside fell on his face. His eyes, normally as blue as the sky were consumed by a deep alpha red and his pupils were expanded.

 

"Dean," he said in a rhaspy voice and seemed to try to will the red away by blinking.

 

"You're in rut," Dean stated the obvious and Anna, who had been turned towards her brother, rolled her eyes.

 

"You didn't tell him?" she asked, clearly addressing Cas but it was Dean who shook his head mechanically. Wait, if Cas was in rut that would mean...

 

Well, Dean remembered masturbating a lot more the last few days, but he thought it was because he finally left the hospital and didn't have constant company anymore. And if one calculated for a second, it was precisely one month after his last heat triggered by their first meeting and hadn't he learned back in health class in school, that freshly mated alphas and omegas went into heat and rut respectively at the same time and far more frequent than the usual four times a year. But why didn't he...

 

Dean almost lifted his hand to facepalm himself. Of course, the doctor in the hospital had explained to him, while he had been only half-listening as usual, that they gave omegas and alphas suppressants after big surgeries so they wouldn't put too much stress on their bodies. Damn, why hadn't he thought of that?

 

"Uh, yeah I'm sorry I," Dean stammered and tried to avoid breathing too much because he could suddenly scent big waves of the most wonderful smell wafting over to him. "I just wanted to see if you're okay."

 

"I'm fine," Cas said, seemingly slowly coming to his senses and blinking the alpha red away fully but still staring at the other. "I'm not in rut. Anymore, I mean."

 

Dean could see out of the corner of his eyes that Anna was rolling her eyes again, a thing she seemed to do often. She had her arms uncrossed, but put her hands to her hips in a scolding manner.

 

"I'll take Dean to the backyard while you shower," she said to Cas wrinkling her nose. "You stink." Dean wanted to tell her she was wrong but stopped himself from doing so. Cas smiled weakly at him and turned around. It seemed as if he was doing so to avoid giving in to his primal urges to get closer to the other and Dean found himself in a similar position.

 

Anna motioned for him to follow a few seconds later and the omega tried to breathe a few as possible as they crossed the entrance hall and the shared living-dining room. Castiel's scent was everywhere, and it made Dean want to crawl into the couch and never leave.

 

The backyard they entered through a big glass door, was almost bigger than Dean's entire flat and had an unmowed lawn, framed by a wide variety of flowers. There was a bench on the terrace to their right on which they seated themselves, and Dean couldn't stop feeling like a child who had done something wrong.

 

"So, you're the omega, who doesn't want to date my brother," Anna stated as if she actually was responsible for Cas and not the other way around. After having looked at her in surprise, the omega looked down at his one boot.

 

"Shouldn't you rather be concerned if I dated him?" Dean asked because he didn't know what else to say. How much had Cas told her about him? "I'm not exactly the best person to... date," he concluded awkwardly.

 

"Well, you're his true mate," she stated as if it was an unavoidable fact. It probably was. "And I think it's a pretty dick move to let him go through all of this pain of rejection if you're just going to show up on our doorstep again."

 

His mate was in pain. Because of him. That was the first thing his brain caught until he remembered that he was pushing Cas away because he wanted to protect him from even greater pain. How could he explain to this young girl that not everybody was getting a happy ever after in life? How should he explain to her that destiny only existed in stories?

 

"I'm just here because I thought something happened to him." He knew it was a lame excuse. He should have stayed away, but how could he if Zachariah could have been torturing the alpha because of Dean. At least that's what he told himself.

 

"Yeah, well, something happened to him." Anna's tone inclined that this should have been obvious to Dean, and he swallowed hard. "Haven't you been present to any of the health classes they are putting you through in high school? As soon as a pair of alpha and omega are mated, and you are practically mated since he knew the exact moment you were hurt, I was there, the feelings to each other multiply, no matter if good or bad. As does the intensity of heats and ruts."

 

She seemed to be talking herself into a rage, and Dean had to admit he was afraid to stop her even if she was talking too loud and too fast. Staring at the barrel of a gun, no problem, but angry teenage girls? Scary as hell.

 

"He is an alpha, even if he doesn't seem like it, who has been rejected by his omega mate and had to spend his rut with the knowledge that he would probably never be with him. He has been sobbing and screaming your name in pain, not in arousal the last few days."

 

Dean just stared at her for some time until he noticed Cas emerging from the glass door behind her. He looked a little better but there were dark shadows under his eyes, and his hair was wet.

 

"I let you guys talk," Anna stated with a pointedly look at Dean and all but stalked into the house. Cas cleared his throat awkwardly.

 

"I was not surprised when she presented as an alpha last year. She fits the clichés way better than I do."  Dean wanted to say something in the lines of 'I don't care about clichés' or something, but didn't.

 

Instead, he stared into the other's eyes, trying to figure out a way out of this mess.

 

"How are you feeling?" the omega asked, even if talking about one's emotions was a thing he really hated. Probably because he wasn't good at it.

 

"I'm... tired," Cas concluded with a sight. He seemed to try to make himself smaller, shoulders sagging forward, eyes darting to his hands in his lap.

 

"Why didn't you-" Dean started and licked his lips. He needed to try harder, but he didn't even know what he actually wanted to ask. "Why didn't you tell me?" was what he settled on.

 

The frown that Cas displayed on his face at the other's words was something Dean wanted to get rid of forever.

 

"What could you have done?" Cas asked back, and this small admission of the fact that something had been needed to be done provided for an aching feeling in Dean's chest. He didn't know what to answer to that.

 

"You know that I'm not good for you," was what emerged Dean's vocal cords after some time. "I'm not one to have a family with, to have kids and live the picket-fenced life with. I did too many bad things, there is no way out for me anymore."

 

"I don't care." He said it with so much sincerity, without missing a beat, that Dean was stuck with staring at him again.

 

"I never killed anyone," Dean suddenly blurted out, surprising himself the most. He hadn't noticed that he had slowly been leaning in towards that smell, but when he took a deep breath now, it felt like he'd been lacking on oxygen and Cas scent was full of it.

 

"Okay," the alpha replied, not more than a whisper and Dean watched as it was now his turn to lick his lips. Those wonderfully pink, chapped lips, that probably tasted even better than Cas smelled.

 

The omega in Dean did backflips, and his heart beat about twice as fast as usual when he leaned in even further.

 

"You know, that it's possible for you to get kidnapped or tortured or something if somebody would find out about us?" Dean asked now also whispering, about five inches from the others face. He could feel Castiel breathing and never wanted to be anywhere else ever again. There was fire prickling under the omega's skin, and he didn't know what to do about it since it was the first time he felt like that.

 

"We'd find a way," Cas just whispered back, his expression slowly shifting from sadness to wonder. His eyes roaming over Dean's face as if to search for any possible complaint about his following actions, the alpha slowly leaned in himself.

 

Dean could swear the other should be able to hear his heartbeat as it was thundering loudly in his chest. Not being able to resist the not only primal but now also emotional urge anymore, Dean closed his eyes and let their lips touch.

 

It was as if somebody had flipped a switch. Being gentle at first, Dean found himself unable to hold back any of the bottled up tension after a few seconds.

 

He grabbed the back of the alphas head, dreading his fingers through that unruly, dark hair and deepened the kiss by bidding for entrance with his tongue. When he was granted, Dean pushed his body as close to Cas as possible and took so many deep breaths of the other's scent that he thought he might hyperventilate soon.

 

In the back of his head, a voice, that sounded awfully lot like his dad told him there was some reason the shouldn't be doing this, but Dean couldn't find himself to care. He had been right, the alpha tasted even better than he smelled and Dean didn't think he would ever get enough of this. His tongue was now stroking the insides of Cas mouth, and when he rather felt than heard the other moan into the kiss, he knew he was gone for good.

 

With a swift motion, he placed himself in his alpha's lap where he started to grind down onto the other's erection, while never breaking lip to lip contact. It was like a drug but worse, and Dean felt himself slick and crave for more.

 

Then Cas suddenly growled low, and Dean came to his senses as his body reacted without his consent.

 

It was probably because of the training of his father and the way he had to defend himself and his little brother on the streets, that Dean Winchester hated to not be in control. Maybe something was broken inside of him since omegas were supposed to submit and serve their alphas, but he just felt wrong when his head lifted up, and his body bared his throat for the other to bite in and claim him anytime he wanted.

 

Dean watched from his weird position, how Cas eyes changed from lust-ridden to horrified when he registered the other's position plus facial expression.

 

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Dean, I didn't mean to," the alpha stammered and seemingly tried to separate their bodies a little, at which the omega in Dean whimpered. Fucking whimpered.

 

"Can't. Move. Cas," Dean brought out through gritted teeth to overact his embarrassment and to make the other aware of his situation.

 

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Cas repeated seemingly at a loss, fumbling around with his hands and trying not to touch Dean. "This has never happened to me before not with any of the two other omegas I have been with." At the mention of other omegas, his alpha could have had sexual interactions with, something inside of Dean wanted to whine again, but he suppressed it.

 

"You have to use your alpha voice and tell me to move." Dean felt a sting in his eyes from the humiliation but willed the tears down. A Winchester didn't cry, under no circumstances.

 

"Um, yeah, alright. Dean, move as you please," he said, and the alpha voice brought shivers down the addressed's spine. Dean felt himself loosen up and dropped back down on the bench next to Cas.

 

"I suppose we will have to set up some boundaries," Dean huffed after a few seconds of silence and noticed how the other's expression changed from pained fear to irritation with a hint of hope.

 

"You're not gonna push me away again?" the alpha asked, and it broke Dean's heart. Had it really felt that bad for him, the rejection and all? This true mates thing was absolutely crazy.

 

"You were never the reason I pushed you away." He really wanted Cas to understand him. "I was just... We'll figure something out for the... alpha command... problem. But I'll have you if you want me." He put all the sincerity in his voice and look he could muster and slowly took the other's hand.

 

Suddenly a wide, gummy smile spread across Cas face, and Dean found himself unable to look away. There were also tears there, but the omega tried to ignore them as he leaned in to place a kiss on his alpha's still smiling mouth.


	5. Free me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Dean Winchester get out of gang business, now that he has a reason to survive?

It was only when he closed the door to his apartment that Dean noticed, he hadn't really stopped smiling since. Cas had driven him home in his horrible beige 1978 Lincoln Continental, but only after insisting on the other having dinner with them. Anna had grinned at them the whole time what had resulted in Dean blushing tremendously and Cas grabbing his hand under the table.  
  
There had been another realisation that had come with the evening, since looking at Cas weird choice of a car had reminded Dean of the only place he hadn't searched for the thing his dad had stolen yet. When he hadn't known what to do with his free time in the last few days, except for masturbating, he had started searching all the boxes his father had left with him. There were some journals he planned on reading, but the rest were just clothes and useless junk.  
  
So he had contemplated, all the way back home if he should still go to Crowley's diner today and visit his beloved Baby. The 1967 Chevrolet Impala he had inherited from his dad at the age of twenty, surely held more than memories of a childhood on the road, but also a hidden trunk with a few of Dean's favourite weapons.  
  
The omega couldn't think of any other place the mysterious object could hide.  
  
After a few seconds of bathing in the peace and happiness, having been with Cas caused in him, Dean decided to call Benny and ask him to get him. The beta reacted quickly and only half an hour later, Dean was unlocking the trunk of his baby with Benny watching the busy street nearby.  
  
At first, he didn't see anything unusual. There were his normal weapons, some riffles his dad had used for hunting and a collection of knives his brother had gathered during his childhood. They were perfectly aligned, and if anyone ever opened this secret trunk he would be in jail before he could say 'demon'.  
  
But instead of worrying about that, Dean examined a fold in the grey cladding of the back of the secret space he hadn't noticed before, probably because he had never tried to find an object his father had stolen from the greatest gang boss in the area. The fold was shaped like a C, and when he pulled at it to straighten it, the back wall loosened. 'That bastard' was everything Dean could think at that moment.  
  
He reached into the small space and grabbed onto a gun he had never seen in his life before. It looked more like a colt, he corrected himself, as he looked it over, making sure, Benny hadn't seen what that he had found something. You could trust nobody in this kind of business.    
  
The cold was made of some kind of metal with ornaments all over it, and there was a pentagram carved into the wooden handle. It didn't seem too unusual until Dean opened the container for the bullets and revealed eight bullet-shaped, transparent vessels, filled with a yellow liquid. At closer inspection, Dean could make out the words 'Heaven's water' at the bottom of each. As he had no idea what that meant, he decided to stuff the vessels back in and hide the colt in the trunk again, to have a talk with Crowley. The King of Hell sometimes was an annoying drama queen, but he seemed to know a lot about things he shouldn't know anything about.

  
-

  
  
"I want out," Dean said as soon as he sat down opposite to Crowley at the other's large business desk.  
  
"Excuse me, what?" the beta split out, trying to keep his posture in sight of irritation. It was funny to watch how he just stared at his second as if the other was about to break his heart. Weird guy.  
  
"I want to get out of business, start a normal life, that thing." Was Crowley pouting?  
  
"You know that it's not that easy," the demon leader started after a few seconds of shock, having found his slimy bargaining voice again. "Even though you have proven yourself very useful in the past few years, you and I had a deal." Dean knew the deal by heart, but of course, the King of Hell had to repeat it. "For your father's debts, you were willing to put yourself into my services if your brother got out. And I have held onto my part. I haven't even thought of that moose in over five years."  
  
Dean almost rolled his eyes. He had probably paid those debts a long time ago already, he had risen to be the second in command after all, but of course, Crowley didn't want to lose his best employee.  
  
"What if I can buy myself out?" he suggested and earned himself a pair of raised eyebrows and a look that said 'this better be good'.  
  
"What if I had what you craved the most," Dean started his speech leaning forward and noticing how the other mimicked his motions involuntarily. "What if I had the thing my dad stole from Zachariah, a thing that could set you free from all the money you owe the angels. Businesslike. And personally." To underline his point, the omega lowered his voice as a sign, that he knew things about the King, nobody else knew.  
  
"Call me mildly interested," Crowley stated, but his posture betrayed him.  
  
"What if I had eight vessels full of Heaven's water, the drug, Zachariah's people promoted so persistent but never sold. What if the reason it never went viral was that my dad stole it from them."  
  
The silence in the room was so thick for the next minutes that somebody could have probably cut through it with a knife. Crowley just stared at him unbelievingly, as if to make out if his counterpart was lying. He must have come to the conclusion that he probably was not and stood up.  
  
"Alright. Show it to me." The beta clearly thought he was stupid.  
  
"You really think I would bring my only leverage here? You know I would never trust you that much, don't ya?" Of course, he knew. There was a reason he was the King.  
  
"So, you want me to believe you're in possession of a drug, that makes people stronger and smarter with almost no side effects, except for addiction of course, but which nobody has seen for the last seven years?" Crowley asked in his exaggerating, dramatic way to which Dean just shrugged.  
  
"If you don't believe me..." he stared, but Crowley stopped him with a movement of his hands.  
  
"Okay, okay. I think I know how we can make an arrangement." The King of Hell pulled his phone towards himself and dialled a number. "We will meet with Zachariah, that bastard, together and hand the drugs over. That way I can make sure you'll hold your part of the deal, and I can get rid of him at the same time."  
  
Dean nodded a little, slowly getting a bad feeling in his stomach. He had wanted to get out of the gang business because he had found something to stay alive and well for and now he was being dragged in one of those dangerous situations again.  
  
It was weird, because before he had always been able to give his life for somebody, presumably his brother, but this time his life was what he needed to keep. If he wanted to try this whole mate thing with Cas, he needed a more regular income to keep him safe, since he wasn't being protected like Sam.

  
-

  
  
The meeting was set to two nights from now onwards and to another warehouse, this time without interior. Since the last one burned down because of Dean's explosions they had to move to less homey and more abandoned locations.  
  
That was why Dean decided to call Sam the next morning. If he had only two days left to live he definitely had to kind of tell his brother that he was important to him and also to look out for Cas and Anna if something happened to him that was worse than last time.  
  
"Hi, Dean," the addressed answered and Dean was confused for a second at the missing question about what was wrong.  
  
"Ah, hi Sammy," he started and didn't know how to continue. Discussing feelings, no matter for whom had never been the two brothers expertise. "I- I, eh, like Cas." Wow, he should become a poet.  
  
"Okay," Sam answered and Dean could hear him chuckle. This was why they couldn't have nice things. "Uh, that's great, Dean. Wait, does that mean you have decided to mate with him?"  
  
There was a short moment of silence in which the omega didn't know how to respond. He hadn't really thought about anything but making out with the guy and keeping him out of danger. And, well maybe he had had a few sex dreams. But mating? That meant for life.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted the truth. "I thought, I mean, I li- like him and I made a deal with Crowley to get out, but what if like in five years, he starts to think I'm boring or I do something stupid or..."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait, why would you need a deal with Crowley to get out? You don't owe him anything." Dean just looked at his ceiling for a second. "And, I mean, it's your decision, but don't you think Cas would tell you if he didn't want the whole mate thing since it's probably either in or out with true mates." Dean had no time to laugh at his brother's word choice.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked dreading the answer already.  
  
"Well there was another paragraph in that book about true mate rights, I didn't want to read to you since you were already under so much pressure. Summarized it says that the only two recorded times an alpha hadn't claimed his true omega, because of whatever reasons, both of them had died during their fourth heat or rut after meeting each other."  
  
Dean was struck to silence once again. That was only two months away, or probably less, if their cycles shortened even further. Damn, Dean didn't remember ever having real heats as frequent as three months apart, it must be horrible to have them more often. Maybe not if you have the right partner, a quiet voice at the back of his skull whispered.  
  
Wait did that mean, that every other pair of true mates had mated except for these two?  
  
"Okay," he said slowly, remembering that he was still on the phone with his brother. "And what if one of the participants died before this fourth heat? Would the other survive then?"  
  
"Dean." He could hear his brother trying to figure out what he was up to but then giving up with a sigh. "Without the claim, the heats and ruts apparently get unbearable, no matter if the other is alive. Actually one of the two cases ended that way because the alpha was executed before they could mate."  
  
Dean knew from the two seconds he had listened at sex ED in high school, that if your claimed mate died, it would be horribly painful, but survivable. If he didn't mate with Cas though and he died in that stand of in two days, that would probably mean the alpha would die, too.  
  
"What do I do," the omega all but whispered into his phone. He had never felt so defeated in his life.  
  
"Dean. You said you liked him, didn't you? And from what I saw, he definitely likes you as well." The older Winchester thought back for a second, remembering how Cas had visited him in the hospital every day, how they had talked and laughed and how his wonderfully plush lips had felt against his.  
  
Dean shook his head. It didn't make any sense to discuss this with his brother and not with Cas.  
  
"If something happens to me," Dean started speaking quickly so the other couldn't interrupt him, "please have an eye on Cas and his sister. Also, name one of your children after me. Bitch."  
  
"Jerk," the other replied automatically their phrases that came the closest to a declaration of love between them. "Wait, what are you planning-"  
  
At that Dean ended the phone call. There was an alpha he needed to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, humans, but those guys are up to something, and I felt like cutting the chapter here :D  
> Also, I know that Cas car is actually jubilee gold and not beige, but Dean sometimes isn't that accurate.


	6. Mate me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe his motives are more about Cas not dying than only unconditional love, but Dean is sure that he wants to mate with his alpha for life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of smut *.*

  
"Mate me."  
  
"No, can't say it like that," Dean mumbled to himself as he limped up and down his living room in a pacing manner. He had called Cas immediately after the talk with his brother, but the guy was working and wasn't free until late afternoon.  
  
That was why Dean was spiralling into a nervous breakdown now. He had spent all day contemplating if they should really mate and had decided that they had to do so today if he wanted for Cas to survive in any scenario. And that was exactly what he wanted.  
  
Now he was trying to figure out how to break this news to the alpha without revealing that he was putting himself in one last dangerous situation to get Cas out of harm's way for good. And 'let's mate, or we'll die' didn't seem to be a good choice of words for that.  
  
Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Dean's heartbeat picked up on the speed. Okay relax, he thought while scanning the room one last time. He had set up some candles, after arguing about it with himself for half an hour and he had cooked some paste he hoped Cas liked. What if the guy was allergic to something?  
  
It was too late now, as Dean walked over to the door, took a deep breath and opened it.  
  
In front of him stood his angel. Not like those other dicks, that operated under Zack, but like a person who seemed to have a halo floating above his head.  
  
"Hello Dean," Cas greeted him in his gruff voice, and a little bit of tension left the omega's shoulders.  
  
"Hi, Cas, I hope you're not allergic to pasta." The alpha just chuckled, and Dean could be wrong, but he thought he heard a little nervousness in that.  
  
They sat down at the table after Dean had hung Cas jacket and at first ate in silence. It kind of was comfortable, and kind of wasn't since Dean knew he had something to ask for and didn't know how.  
  
"You seem better," he said instead and looked the other over while chewing some pasta. The shadows under Cas eyes were lighter and his cheeks seemed to have gathered a little bit of colour.  
  
"I feel better," the alpha replied crooking his head to the side and lowering his fork. "Dean, what's wrong?" Okay, maybe he didn't seem as cool as he thought.  
  
"Nothing. I mean, nothing bad, nothing to worry." Dean winced inwardly at the high speed of his speech. He needed to distract the other from his lies. "I was wondering if, maybe, since we already, I mean, kissed..." This was not heading anywhere, and Cas was already opening his mouth to say something. Get it out, Dean.  
  
"Iwouldliketomatewithyou."  
  
Cas eyes narrowed first in irritation and then opened wide. Food completely forgotten, he blinked a few times unbelievingly and Dean would think of it as funny if there wasn't so much at stake.  
  
"You- you want to mate?" Of course, he was confused, considering that Dean hadn't shown any interest in a relationship with him until yesterday. He also noticed how Cas started to turn a little pink around the nose as if he was embarrassed and Dean needed a second to realise the reason. Mating included sex. At least one thing the omega understood.  
  
"Yes, I," Dean started and recognised that he needed to do a little convincing, judging after Cas incredulity. "I really like you, have done so for a while now but didn't want to drag you into my mess. You know, contrary to me prior yesterday, that this longing and pinning is only going to get worse. I think we should do it." Cas seemed to want to say something but settled on something else instead.  
  
"Today?" he asked as if Dean had gone crazy. Maybe he had.  
  
"I mean, if you don't want, that's fine with me, we can wait. Or we don't have to mate at all." Dean felt the courage leaving him thinking that this had probably been a bad idea. Who would want to mate him, a lost man who had stolen more money from people than he could count? Not because he couldn't count very high, but...  
  
"Wait, Dean, of course, I want to mate with you," the alpha stopped his train of thoughts and Dean felt his stomach go crazy or something. "I just didn't think you did. At least not that soon."  
  
"Okay, I'm gonna set this straight," Dean took another deep breath gathering everything he had ever learned from his favourite show, Dr Sexy MD. "I don't wanna spend another day not mated with you."  
  
He also had wanted to say something about how he wanted it anyway, and he did, and how waiting was just gonna hurt them, but he didn't seem to be able to voice another thought at the sight of all the hope in Cas eyes.  
  
"You're sure?" the alpha all but whispered, and Dean could only nod because he was losing himself in those blue orbits.  
  
As the other didn't do anything further, Dean got up and limped over to him secured by the table, as blue eyes followed his every movement. He held out his hands wordlessly, and Cas took them, letting himself being pulled out of his chair. They stood in front of each other, both wondering looks on their faces until Dean slowly leaned in and captured the shorter man's lips.  
  
A shiver ran down the omega's spine as he wrapped his arms around Cas waist to pull him closer. The alpha lifted his hands and carded them through the hair of Dean's neck, and they synchronously deepened the kiss.  
  
It was soft and needy at the same time, and Dean felt again as if he had been cut off of oxygen his entire life and was breathing it in now. Cas scent, which had been a little bit dampened by Dean's own nervous one before was all around him, and he couldn't get enough of it.  
  
The omega was the first to moan this time, as their tounges touched and he could taste his soon to be mate properly. He needed more.  
  
"Bedroom," he whispered against the other's lips, and since Cas didn't know where exactly that was, he took his hand and pulled him there while steadying himself on various furniture. When he saw his bed, he had nearly made before, he felt the nervousness rise again, but only until he heard his alpha gulp behind him. Right, _he_ was the one with the experience.  
  
Dean decided on showing that immediately, as he gracefully swept away the blanket, sitting down on the bed and pulling Cas after him.  
  
"You nervous?" Dean asked after Cas had fallen onto him in an uncoordinated mess. He managed to get up to straddle the omega's lap, and his embarrassed/sulky facial expression was so cute, that Dean couldn't help but grin.  
  
"I haven't had a lot of... intercourse before." Cas sky blue eyes bored themselves into Dean's green ones, and the Winchester hummed contentedly at the admission.  
  
"It's just me," he whispered, deciding they had talked enough and pulling the other down into a passionate kiss. But Cas wouldn't have it.  
  
"Yes, just you, my true mate, I plan to spend the rest of my life with," he stated, just like that and Dean felt pure euphoria mix with dread in his stomach. The other couldn't really mean that, could he?  
  
Instead of thinking about it for too long, Dean settled his mind to the task at hand and started to unbutton Cas white dress shirt. It was normally accompanied by a blue tie, but the alpha had supposedly tried for a more casual look today. The skin of Cas bare torso felt wonderful under Dean's hands, and he would have continued exploring it if Cas hadn't leaned down to kiss him again. The arousal in their mixed scents was more than obvious in the room, but Dean only felt himself slick as soon as Cas pushed forwards and brought their erections together.  
  
"Damn, Cas," Dean moaned in the alpha's mouth without thinking about it. This erected a chuckle from Cas which died down when he looked into Dean's eyes.  
  
"How- how do you want me to..." he trailed off, turning slightly red again. "I mean, I'm gonna need to bit you and kn- knot you at the same time." Dean's eyes opened wide even if he hadn't meant to.  
  
"Cas," he started but had to make the other look into his eyes again first, by framing his face with a hand. "Have you ever knotted somebody before?" At the shaking of his head and the way he bit his lips, Dean had to lean forward for a second and bury his face into the other's neck. He took a deep breath of that intoxicating scent and grinned up towards his alpha.  
  
"You're a wonder," he murmured while stroking the other's back in a comforting manner. "I can't move a lot so why don't we just..." And instead of finishing the sentence, Dean heaved his casted leg onto the bed and laid back, with Cas still on top of him. They stared into each other's eyes for a second longer, until Cas leaned down fully and caught his lips in a feverish kiss.  
  
Soon Dean's shirt was gone as well, and when the omega started to unbutton his alpha's dress pants, the other gasped in such a cute way, that he had to bury his face in his scent again for a second.  
  
"Your scent is driving me mad," Cas whispered in his ear as he licked and nibbled at Dean's neck what made the omega pick up on the speed of undressing. Conveniently, Dean's pants were a little loose, they were old ones from Sammy, or they wouldn't have made their way over his cast that fast.  
  
Dean noticed Cas hands shaking a little as he lowered himself down again, but his worries got clouded ower fast by the delicious scent in the room and the way their erections were only separated by two layers of boxers.  
  
After a look for confirmation into bright blue eyes, which were almost all consumed by blown pupils, Dean hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his own boxers and pulled them down. One of Cas hands instantly wandered down to his rather big member, for an omega at least and when he grabbed onto it as if his life depended on it, Dean swore he lost his consciousness for a second. For a moment, in which he felt a gush of slick run out of him, Dean was worried that they might have triggered their cycles again since he wouldn't have any protection for that case.  
  
But it didn't seem to be a problem since he was still under the influence of those medications as the omega remembered. As Cas started to rub him up and down and press him against his own erection, seemingly to get some friction as well, Dean lost his last bit of patience and yanked the other's boxers down as well.  
  
Someday he wanted to have Cas slowly undressing in front of his eyes, enjoying each bit of skin that was revealed, but this time both of them grew too needy too fast. When their naked erections touched, the alpha, who usually seemed to be a very calm and outbalanced person, cursed under his breath and if that wasn't a gigantic turn on.  
  
Dean thought he would have been able to come from just rocking their dicks against each other, enjoying the friction and kissing now and then, but he knew they needed more for the mating claim. And damn, did he want more.  
  
When Cas didn't make a move to proceed further, Dean took his hand and subtly guided it down, what made the other's eyes go wide. He had found a pillow to stuff under his butt, to make up for the fact that he couldn't lift his legs and spread them wider.  
  
"I need you to prep me, remember?" he asked with a hint of a smile curling at his lips.  
  
"Yes, sorry, got lost," Cas replied, and Dean would have almost called his stern look at the task ahead adorable outside of his own mind. He felt fingers sliding down his dick, over his balls and past that and all the while the alpha was looking him straight in the eyes.  
  
When the first finger entered, it kind of felt weird, like it usually did, but also instantly arousing. His slick had done great work at keeping everything moist and loosening him up so that it was no problem for Cas to add a second finger right away. Still having this determined expression on his face, as if he was doing an experiment rather than preparing his mate for sex, Cas managed to find that bundle of nerves inside of him, and Dean gasped loudly.  
  
"Cas," he whispered after having found his eyes again. "Hurry, please?"  
  
The alpha chuckled at that and added a third finger starting a scissoring motion. Once he made sure that Dean was ready by staring him into the eyes until he nodded, Cas lined himself up with him and pushed in. He waited a few seconds for Dean to adjust and the omega got a first impression of Cas losing control as he closed his eyes and burrowed his face in his mate's neck. It was the most beautiful thing, Dean had ever seen.  
  
When he didn't move as he was fully seated inside of Dean, the omega patted his hair and tried to wiggle his hips despite his immobile leg. "Please," he murmured, and the alpha who lifted his head had a red ring around his iris.  
  
"You have to stop saying please, or I don't know how to control my inner alpha anymore," he growled, and Dean felt himself slick even more.  
  
"Alright, just move, Cas," he whispered absolutely mesmerised by pupils, that were almost swallowing all blue in those gorgeous eyes. Cas started to rock back and forth, and Dean soon found himself begging again as his alpha was hitting his sweet spot with every thrust.  
  
Dean saw the panic rise in Cas eyes the moment his knot started to form, and he tried everything to make him relax between cursing and moaning and panting.  
  
"You-" he started but was interrupted by an especially hard thrust, "you need to bite me as soon as it pops, alright?" Cas just nodded but was otherwise quiet, burying his face in Dean's neck again. As the omega pulled him closer by tangling his fingers in the other's hair and his alpha let out a moan, that was shaking him in his core.  
  
"Dean, I'm gonna-," he brought out before he burrowed his knot deep inside of Dean, who felt it pop and then came immediately. Cas bit down, maybe a little bit too hard on the space between Dean's neck and his shoulder and the omega felt his climax stretch out longer and longer.  
  
When they both slowly came down from their hights, Dean was noticing how Cas licked the blood from his neck and chuckled.  
  
I love him, he thought, feeling a jolt of panic seer through his veins. Damn, I fucking, love this guy.  
  
"I love you, too," a very tired sounding Cas mumbled into his neck. He started to get heavy, and Dean manoeuvred them a little to their sides, still tied together until he caught up to the meaning of the other's words.  
  
"Wait, what?" he asked, thinking 'I didn't say that out loud' at the same time.  
  
"You didn't?" It was visible that it took a lot of effort for the alpha to lift his head and look into his mates eyes. Damn, they really were mates. Dean shook his head and tried something else: Can you hear this?  
  
As Cas nodded after a few seconds, Dean took in a sharp breath. From what he had caught from the book Sam had read to him, it was scarce but possible for true mates to feel the other's feelings after being mated. But this?  
  
A big smile spread across his alpha's face, and he felt warmth settle in his stomach as if there was nothing to worry about. He understood after a second that Cas was sending these feelings towards him and he noticed how his lips started to smile as well.


	7. Love me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big night comes, and there are only two possible outcomes: Either Dean gets free or he dies. Or is there another one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update^^  
> Thanks for reading and please leave kudos if you liked it ;)

They spend almost all of the following day in bed, only getting up to pee and eat some breakfast, Dean had made entirely naked. Cas had watched him the whole time, and at one time he sent a groan through their bond, that made the other drop the spatula and turn around. The eggs nearly burned right then right there, but it was all in all one of the best days Dean ever remembered having.  
  
Still, there was this dread hanging over them, that Cas surely felt even if Dean tried to hide it from him, the ultimatum that was this evening, where the omega would either die or end his old life and start a new one. He didn’t even dare to hope for the latter, because if he did if he looked into the hopeful eyes of the other for one second too long, there was no coming back from the disappointment that was unavoidably to follow.  
  
Well, you couldn’t be disappointed when you’re dead, a tiny voice in his head reminded him, but he tried to quiet it down. He really needed to get a hold on his thoughts, since he didn’t want his mate to worry. His mate.  
  
He, Dean Winchester, confirmed bachelor, proud non-traditional omega had a mate. The longest commitment he had made prior was the Batman-shampoo abonnement he had forgotten to cancel after a month. But there was no time to freak out about this.  
  
He rather spent his presumably last day on earth, looking at and worshipping his really handsome alpha, holding him close at times and making out at others. They didn’t talk about knotting again, but Dean got the feeling that Cas was still a bit nervous about it and he didn’t want to pressure him. Besides, there were other ways to get both of them off, and the omega made sure they tried as many of them as possible.  
  
When the evening arrived, Dean looked at the watch of his phone like every five minutes, but the time had to come, that he told Cas some kind of excuse, something about having some paperwork to do and he guided his mate out to his car. The good-bye-kiss lasted longer than it probably was socially acceptable and Cas looked at him questionably, but he just winked and wished him a good night’s sleep. Then he went upstairs and stared after the beige car, disappearing into the night.    
  
Even if he had never felt as if an evening would be one of the most significant in his life, he was no one to chicken out. He showered with a plastic bag wrapped around his cast, which was also the reason they had just cleaned each other with a wet towel after the mating. He then put on one of the Jeans his brother had borrowed him, where he had to willow up the legs and a light bullet prove vest underneath a black t-shirt and his usual plaid. You could never know what saved your life in this business.  
  
When he tucked some knives in his boots and stored his usual guns in the back of his jeans and the inside of his jacket, he briefly wondered if it was really wise to go to a meeting like this when he couldn't even run properly. Or drive a car.  
  
But it was too late for that now, as a message on his phone alerted him of the arrival of Benny in front of his apartment. Well, wasn't it a beautiful day to go down?

  
-

  
  
The moment they entered the warehouse, Dean knew that it would be very different from last time. No things were lying around, not even the occasional bottle, or the abandoned sleeping utensils of some homeless person. That meant no place to hide and ergo no place to go when shit went down.  
  
He had stopped with Benny at his car to get the colt, which he strapped to the bulletproof vest, almost invisible under his t-shirt. Then they had gathered the others, three vehicles full of men and women in total, including a grumpy looking Crowley who eyed Dean suspiciously all of the way.  
  
He wanted to believe that they looked badass, their group of fully armed people, entering an abandoned warehouse at night, walking like they had nothing to lose. But of course, they weren't more than a group of ants to the angels, just a mere inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. And one of them was definitely limping, not to say who, but... Still, they were all clad in black, Crowley with his dark suit looking like a literal demon, as they approached the only enlightened part of the room.  
  
There, in the cone of an old industrial light stood the angels, almost twice as much as them and they probably also had people outside.  
  
The first thing Dean recognized, was that some of them had partly burned faces, some of them not even healed and he ha to swallowed thickly. Then he noticed, that something was off. It was as if some kind of energy was pulling him to the middle of the group, but that couldn't be since there were only some guys talking to Zachariah, who turned around as he heard their footsteps.  
  
"Ahh, Crowley," he spat out, seemingly unharmed from their last encounter but definitely pissed. "And the Winchester boy, I really had worried for a second, that you had died there."  
  
Dean just furrowed his brows; they had agreed that Crowley would talk first, and the omega still wanted to find out what this weird feeling was. Something shifted in the group behind Zack.  
  
"We are here to negotiate, not to be threatened." Crowley's voice was calm and controlled, and Dean got another impression why nobody assumed he was anything else but an alpha. "We have something, you are interested in, some kind of rusty, old colt that we found on the roads and we are willing to hand it over. For the right price, of course."  
  
Zachariah's face twitched just for a second. Dean didn't know if he was surprised, but in the end, he settled on a self-satisfied smirk, that the omega really didn't like.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure I have the right payment. Or the most convincing alliances, so to say."  
  
And that was the moment the scent hit Dean. Those wildflower fields and the rainstorm and then the people of the group parted, and Dean could see who stood in the centre.   
  
Castiel. His mate.  
  
The first thought that came to the omega after having overcome the initial shock was that his alpha had betrayed him. That he had been in contact with his uncle all the time and had just gotten to know Dean to get the Colt. But how would he have known that the demons would rob the shop that day? And wouldn't he just have to demand the Colt from Dean since he was his true alpha? Why hadn't he already done that?  
  
Then he noticed the other's panicked expression. And the fear that ebbed like waves through their bond. Since Dean had tried to keep the communication between them at a minimum for this evening, he hadn't noticed anything unusual before, and he really wanted to slap himself in the face.  
  
"Had your second told you," Zack addressed a confused looking Crowley, "that he had gotten himself a little mate just recently? I couldn't believe it either when I heard it's my beloved nephew here. I've always had big plans for him."  
  
Crowley turned to Dean slowly. "You're an omega?" he asked completely shocked at what Dean just shrugged. Of course, this had to be the thing to bug him most, but it was undeniable now, regarding the missing claiming mark on Castiel's throat. The Winchester had always thought of it as unfair that only the omega got one and he had made sure that it was hidden beneath his collar for tonight. Well, he could forget about that now.  
  
'What are you doing here, Dean?' a voice in his head suddenly rang and he remembered that they could actually communicate this way.  
  
He answered: 'Buying my freedom. What are _you_ doing here?' and at the same time out loud:  
"Leave him out of this," which proved to be quite difficult.  
  
'They came into our house and threatened to get full custody for Anna if I didn't come with them to this meeting. They said they have people everywhere.' Cas eyes were wide with fear, and the omega really didn't like to see him in this situation. Or, like, in any kind of dangerous situation.  
  
"Oh, but this is just the thing, isn't it? I don't have children, and I've always wanted an heir," Zachariah explained as if he was the host of s game show, as he slowly walked over to Cas. "I had thought about his brother Gabriel or his little sister since all of them are alphas, but this... connection with you is what convinced me. I finally gain full control, not only of the Hell's demons but also of the Winchester legacy."  
  
Dean noticed now, that two people were holding Cas by his shoulders, even if they probably didn't have to. Cas would do anything for his family, just as Dean would.  
  
"Imagine what little angel/demon babies they would have," Zachariah continued towards Crowley with the face of someone who just won the lottery, "I could raise them and make them worship me and the family business."  
  
A cold, unpleasant shudder ran down Dean's back at those words, and he could recognize, that Cas looked just as mortified. Dean shouldn't have made him mate him, he shouldn't have...  
  
'It's not your fault,' a deep soothing voice said in his head. 'He wanted one of us three, and I would never have let my siblings do it.'  
  
"Now, how about this." Hooking a finger under Dean's alpha's chin, Zachariah made sure everybody was listening. "I spare both of your siblings, and they can live a happy and normal life." Dean rolled his eyes at the dramatic pause. "In exchange for a small signature from you, that ensures me your unconditional loyalty as well as the demons. What do you say?"  
  
Dean wanted to run over and punch the older man in the face for touching his mate, but Benny held him back.   
  
'Do you trust me?' Castiel asked through their bond, and Dean felt a calmness display not only in himself but also on the other's face. The omega just nodded shortly, and Cas turned his attention back to his uncle.  
  
"Where do I sign," he asked through gritted teeth, but Dean could look past that. There was a glint in his alpha's eyes that he had never seen before, and that seemed to scream of trouble. Where had that helpless guy gone, that Dean had wanted to protect from anything evil just seconds ago? If this weren't such a delicate situation, he would have admitted that it turned him on a little.  
  
Zack just grinned winningly and ordered some guys from behind him who brought a black briefcase as if they were in a James Bond movie.  
  
"He can't do that, can he?" Crowley asked from Dean's left as soon as most of the angels were occupied with the contract being signed. "I mean, he can alpha control you, but I'm still the leader." Dean sighed. He had had enough of Crowley's drama a long time ago, but he also hated that Zachariah was right.   
  
"He can command everything from me." 'I would never do that,' Cas said, and Dean's mouth almost twitched. "He can command me to tell all of our secrets, hell, he can even command me to fight you, and you know I'm better at that even with a broken leg."  
  
Crowley just groaned dramatically, looking around as if to search for a way out.  
  
"Watch how your end is being signed, Crowley," Zachariah exclaimed dramatically as he handed over a pen to Castiel. Dean started to actually, physically sweat now despite the cold air that blew in from a broken garage door at the other end of the warehouse. How did his mate plan to get out of this mess after signing the contract? Even if they could contact Sam, Zack's people were probably , and Dean didn't see any chance on breaking it.  
  
Cas looked up at him then, and a barely visible smile played at his mouth, accompanied by a deep, worried crease in his forehead.   
  
And Dean knew, he was done. He was so thoroughly smitten, he would do anything for this guy, even step with him in an airplane and he really hated those. Even let him take full control when both of their lives were at stake.  
  
As Cas handed the papers to one of Zack’s assistants, his uncle stepped self-assured in front of him and opened his arms. “Fellow angels and fellow demons. I’d like for you to welcome your new future leader, my nephew, Castiel Novak!” A few demons and all of the angels applauded hesitantly, and Dean shifted his weight more onto his healthy leg.  
  
“I’d like to say a few words,” Cas addressed his uncle quietly from behind him. There was so much calm in his voice, but Dean could feel his alpha tremble nervously through their connection. Zachariah turned around in surprise but wove his hand like an invitation.  
  
“Of course,” he said and stepped a little aside, but not too much to disappear into the background.  
  
“I really appreciate the warm welcome, dear uncle,” Cas said without an ounce of warmth in his voice, and a shiver ran down Dean’s spine. He hadn’t known his mate could sound this cruel, and it made him quite glad not to be the one addressed. “For what I will tell you now,” he spoke to everybody in the room, “I’ll have you to know that my dear uncle, Zachariah, killed my parents as well as all of my siblings who weren’t alphas or in other ways not suitable for the position I inherit now just a few years ago.” Castiel paused there, for a second, and it seemed as if nobody even dared to breathe.  
  
“Back then, right on the day of the funeral, Zachariah offered the exact same contract, I just signed to me after my brother Gabriel declined. He wasn’t as… insisting back then, and I thought after I said no, he would leave my family and me alone, considering I had no idea he had been behind their deaths.” There was a sadness in their bond that Dean wished to get rid of right now, by hugging the shit out of his mate preferably, but of course, he couldn’t.  
  
“The next time I heard from my uncle was just less than a week ago. My mate, Dean,” he continued, his eyes softening a little and Dean did not at all have a warm feeling spread through his chest at that, “he told me about their ‘meeting’ a few weeks ago, what made me think, he might come for me again. And I was right.”  
  
Zachariah looked thoroughly pissed now but made no effort to stop his nephew. What was his mistake.  
  
“So, I decided to look for anything, _anything_ I could hold against him. And I’m sorry about what I have to say next,” he said and seemed to ready himself for what was about to come by taking a deep breath. Dean knew he would have started shooting before the signing if Cas hadn’t stopped him through their bond and he still really wanted to. Action, not talking, but that obviously wasn’t his mate’s style.  
  
“Zachariah has a brain tumour.”  
  
He had addressed everybody in the room, but Zack and Crowley were the ones to react the most. The former by looking shocked and the latter by starting to smirk.  
  
“You want to appeal to paragraph forty-nine,” Crowley exclaimed before anybody else could say anything. “If the current leader is too weak or mentally compromised to lead…” He left the last words hanging in the air, but even Dean got what he was saying. Cas could get rid of his uncle for good.  
  
“I don’t _want_ to do this, uncle,” Castiel said, turning towards Zachariah. “But you left me no other choice.”  
  
“No, you can’t,” Zack all but screamed out, all of his previous calm demeanour gone at the foresight of his failure.   
  
“He actually can,” the man who had handed over the briefcase spoke up, and Zack turned to him in an overly dramatic gesture. “If he has the medical records…” Cas opened his jacket and got out a stack of papers and handed them over with an unchanging expression. What the fuck was just happening.  
  
The man, who was probably the angel’s lawyer shuffled through the stack, and it seemed as if everybody was holding his breath, even Zachariah.  
  
“Alright, hereby, Zachariah Milton will be relieved of his position as the head of the Heaven’s angels due to a tumour in his brain, compromising his sense of judgement. Castiel Novak will step in his place immediately instead of as soon as the other dies.”  
  
“You got yourself quite a boy toy there,” Crowley uttered under his breath towards Dean as soon as Zack started to argue with his lawyer. ‘What now?’ was all the omega could think through their bond though since this was definitely the opposite of what they had wanted. Now there was no way for Cas to get out of this business: the contract probably bound for life.  
  
‘Dean,’ a voice spoke up in his mind, and he really should get used to that. ‘Is Crowley a good man? Do you trust him?’ Their eyes met through the room, and Dean felt a sting of annoyance because his brain didn’t seem to have anything else to do but to think that his mate looked kind of badass and adorable at the same time.  
  
He nodded, once, not regarding the irritated look of his boss.  
  
“Please take my uncle outside,” Dean heard Cas utter towards two men behind him, and they obliged immediately. Zachariah, of course, didn’t leave without a protest, but as soon as he was gone, a noticeable amount of tension left the room.  
  
“Now, as you all know, I’m not born in this business,” Cas addressed everybody again, and Dean could feel, that the encounter had left him tired and sad. He really just wanted to lay in bed with him and cuddle forever. “Therefore, I want to appeal to paragraph sixty-six, b, that states, that I can name a permanent leader in my absence. Which will hopefully be for a very long time.”  
  
Realisation drew across Dean’s face at these words, and he wondered how he could have ever been so stupid. Of course, his mate had it all covered.  
  
“Crowley,” the alpha spoke out loud, and the addressed looked more startled than Dean had ever seen him. “I hereby announce you to be my permanent replacement. As my mate would say: don’t fuck it up.”  
  
The omega grinned at that, and a quiet chuckle escaped him. Who’d known you could win a war with words alone.

  
-

  
  
They had talked a little more with Crowley and the other higher positioned angels and the shorter man cut Dean free of all the debts his father had ever caused. They destroyed the drugs, a last order of the actual leader, and then left as fast as they could. There was a quiet life waiting for them, and Dean was actually excited to embrace it.  
  
The engagement party of Sam and Jess was held at the Novak’s house, regarding, that Dean actually almost lived there by now and that the younger Winchester and his fiancée planned on moving back to the smaller town it was located in.   
  
The moment Dean saw his little brother, he hugged him hart, thanking him over and over for the role he had played in convincing him. Not that he would ever admit that to anybody else.   
  
Anna, blunt as she was asked when the first babies would pop out as soon as everybody sat on the table, which made the soon to be wedded couple turn a quite dark shade of pink. Dean chuckled at that until Anna turned to him and his mate and asked them to spend their next rut/heat at Dean's place because she couldn't stand that.   
  
Dean knew there wasn't a healthy way to avoid his next heat with Cas around, but they had already stocked up on birth control, and he would be a liar if he said he wasn't at least a bit excited.   
  
They got monthly updates from Crowley, which they mostly ignored, and Dean finally understood what other people saw in the apple pie life. Which was not only the apple pies.


End file.
